Shattered Memories
by inkywings
Summary: Sora's abused by his parents Riku makes the decision to send Sora away to Disney Castle with two people to heal and be happy. Ten years later, barriers are down again and Riku travels to Disney Castle. But will things be he same? (not yaoi)
1. You'll Always Be My Best Friend

Me: Welcome to my crazy, mixed up mind. This fic was just thought of this morning. Weird, huh? Inspiration comes at the weirdest of times. Anyway, meet my wonderful, and very sexy, muse, Riku.

Riku: Why me?

Me: Yeah, I'm also the author of Flickering Light. I'm not sending this to Digital to beta for several reasons, incase she's reading this. A). She isn't into Kingdom Hearts much at the moment and I know she's obsessed with One Piece and B). She already has enough with the other two stories. I know, excuses will come to bite me in the ass in the future but I don't care at the moment. Please enjoy.  
Fire: I'M the beta reader! Hehehe Power. (hugs Riku) Now get reading people.

**New Beginnings**

Riku swung his short, stubby legs back and forth from the weak branch of a blooming paopou tree. He had been warned if he sat on it too long it would snap, only just having been planted last year. But Riku trusted the plant to hold him, and it never failed to give him a comfy spot to sit on. Who had planted the tree? He and his best friend had. Where was his best friend? Riku was too scared to confirm what his mind was screaming at him.

The five-year-old threw his head back and quickly shut his eyes as the sun glared down upon him. Soft, silvery locks swirled about his face, almost reaching his shoulders but not quite. The skin was pale no matter how much time he spent in the sun. Green eyes set under fine eyebrows looked back at you and could give you the feeling he was reading your mind. It was scary, but his friends got used to it.

Deciding he had waited enough, Riku slowly crawled off of the tree. It was now taking shape, the tree bend tilting to the side from being sat on so much. His sandals made flopping noises as he walked across the bridge. He longed to just jump off into the clear waters below but he was scolded for doing so the last time. He wore black shorts and a yellow tee-shirt. A silver chain necklace looped around his neck, bearing a crown pendant. He adored it and was never seen without it on.

Riku pushed the door to the hut open with small hands and stepped inside, letting the cool damp air enclose around his skin and the darkness cloud over his eyes. He trotted down the creaky steps and emerged through the door on the other end.

His eyes quickly scanned the area before him, looking for any signs of the brunette. But it was still too early, he thought. It made sense no one was here, but Riku knew for a fact that Sora's parents had been pissed off yesterday. That being known, Riku was positive Sora would be here. The brunette always came to this island after... nights like that.

Riku followed the path through the rainforest like trees, keeping a close eye out. He knew Sora was here, even when he didn't want to be found. The younger boy hated being weak, thus hiding from his best friend. He would never let anyone see him cry; everyone, that is, except for Riku.

As a matter of fact, Riku was the only one Sora would talk too and that was literally how things were. Riku guessed the fact that Sora never said a word pissed his parents off even more, making it even harder on the poor brunette. Sora would just stop talking completely when others were around, and he seemed happy enough when it was just him and Riku playing together. Riku wanted to do something... he wanted to so bad! He couldn't stand seeing Sora like this and it made him hurt. But there was nothing, all Riku could do was be the shoulder Sora could lean on.

Riku brushed away at the bug on his forehead, frowning. He checked all of Sora's favorite hiding places; the cave, the waterfall, the hut, everywhere.

"It must have been bad last night," Riku murmured sadly.

"Your majesty, your majesty, are you there?"

Riku whipped around and eyed the bushes. He could have sworn he had heard a voice coming from behind them. Shrugging it off, Riku was turning around to leave when he heard it again.

"I'm not sure, the chart says I'm on an island."

Riku stopped completely now and turned around. Very slowly on tip toes, he crept silently to the bush. Using his hands to brush away some branches of small leaves, he peered from in-between them and saw a tall, tall person there. He may not have been that tall, but to Riku, he was. The man was talking into a strange black box and Riku listened to hear more.

"Yes, Destiny Islands... No, I'm not sure. She may be around here somewhere, I'll go look for her."

Whoever this strange man was, he was wearing a black cloak that looked like a uniform and black boots. A badge was on his chest but Riku was too young to read what it said.

"How long are we going to be stuck on this world?" the man whispered into the box.

Riku gasped; another world! The man had pressed another button when he heard Riku's gasp and buried the thing back into his pocket. "Oh no..." the man muttered.

"Who are you?" Riku asked, brows furrowed. He looked adorable, especially with his cute little voice (Me: SQUEE!).

"Y-you can... oh no," the man muttered. "Go away," he insisted, making shooing motions with his hands. "Get out of here!"

"It's my home," Riku said, crossing his short arms over his chest. "What are **YOU** doing here?"

The man sighed. "None of your business, alright kid? Just go on home."

"I am home," Riku pointed out. Then he tilted his head to the side. "Are you new here?"

"Yes, yes I am," the man said, nodding. "I am new here and I'll be leaving shortly, so if you don't mind..."

He left the clearing, brushing past Riku as he went. But the silver-haired boy would not give up so easily, and he just followed him.

"What are you doing here?" Riku asked as he trotted to keep up with the giant (who isn't really a giant).

"I'm doing something," he answered.

"What?"

"Business."

"What's business?"

"Boring stuff."

"What's boring?"

"Talking to you!" the man finally roared, turning around to face the little boy. They were on the beach now, and he looked down at his stalker, who was too cute to be a stalker.

Riku sniffed slightly, water brimming in his eyes.

"Oh, kid, I'm sorry," the man murmured, kneeling down, putting a hand on Riku's shoulder. "I didn't mean it, don't cry."

At this Riku wiped at his eyes and shoved the man's hand away. "I'm not crying!" he insisted stubbornly.

The guy chuckled as he stood back up. "Whatever." And he walked away again, not at all surprised Riku was following him again.

They walked in silence for a while before the man broke it with a heavy sigh. "Okay, what is it going to take for you to stop following me?"

Riku grinned. "What's your name, mister?"

"Oram," he replied.

"I'm Riku!" the little boy stated proudly.

Oram chuckled again. "That's nice, Riku. Now if you don't mind, I have to go find my friend."

"Cool!" Riku said. "I'm looking for my friend, too. We can look for them together!"

Before Oram could protest, Riku reached up and grabbed his hand and lead him forward. "C'mon, mister."

"Don't call me mister," Oram said, but allowed himself to be dragged onwards. Riku was just too cute to resist.

They walked for a bit before Riku stopped.

"What is it?" Oram asked.

"He's here," Riku said, smiling.

"Ahh, your friend?" Oram said. "Where is he?"

"He's a bit...err, shy," Riku mumbled. Turning his head back to the forest. "Sora, come on out of there!" he shouted. "This guy's a new friend!"

Oram waited patiently, eyes fixed on the woods. There was a slight rustling, but no on came out.

"Wait right here," Riku commanded, letting go of the man's hand. Oram watched as the boy disappeared into the woods for a few moments. He heard a small gasp of surprise, but it sounded like it came from Riku.

Another few minutes later, Riku emerged with a smaller boy holding onto his hand. Oram watched as Riku brought forward a small brunette. His face was hidden, but he was wearing clothes similar to Riku's, except his shorts were red and his shirt white.

"Hey there," Oram said, but the boy still didn't look up. Riku gave the man a look that said clearly "You're too tall!" and Oram obediently lowered himself to one knee so he was level with the boy.

"Hello, Sora is it?" Oram said.

The boy nodded lightly, still not looking. He had a light tan on him and his face was turned to the left so all that Oram could see was the right side of his face.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Oram asked quietly, tilting his head to the side to see more of Sora's face but Sora just turned more to the left.

"It's okay, Sora," Riku said brightly. "This guy's a friend, he won't hurt you!"

Oram smiled to himself slightly, happy to be called a friend by the cute little boy. But he was nothing compared to his best friend who stubbornly refused to look around.

"He's just really shy," Riku assured him, then looking back at the younger boy. "Sora, it's okay. Maybe this guy can help us!"

Oram blinked in slight confusion and watched as Sora slowly leaned his head further to the right, showing bright blue eyes that reminded him of the ocean that currently surrounded them. But that was only one eye, the other still hidden from view. But his one eye told enough. It showed signs of fear, unmistakable fear. But he was giving Oram a look that told him clearly he was trying to trust him. Trust was hard, but the man had no idea as to why it was so hard for this little boy to even look at him.

"You okay?" Oram asked. Looking back at Riku, he said, "Is he okay? Should he head home?"

Riku shook his head frantically. "No, Sora's parents are mean!"

_'Of course,' _Oram thought. _'All kids get mad at their parents sometimes.' _But something about this was different, he could tell by the way Riku said it and how Sora hadn't spoken a word.

"Can you face me?" Oram pleaded quietly. "Come on, I know you can."

Slowly, very slowly, Sora turned his head until it was setting straight on his shoulders, looking up at Oram with innocent eyes. What the man saw made his gasp and he could feel his heart slowly starting to break.

Spreading over the entire left side of his face was a huge bruise. His eyes was red and splotched, the black and blue skin making it all the more horrible. He slowly brought his fingers up to touch the bruise lightly, making Sora wince and step back.

"Be careful!" Riku snapped in his childish voice.

"Sorry," Oram apologized. He tilted Sora's face to the right by his chin, inspecting the injury carefully. "How did this happen?" He also now noticed another bruise peeking out from underneath his shirt sleeve, and another on his other arm.

Riku opened his mouth to say something but Sora cut him off, speaking for the first time in front of Oram. "I tripped." Riku glared at his friend but Sora just ignored him.

"You tripped?" Oram said, raising an eyebrow.

Sora nodded. "Yeah, I fell and hit my eye."

"Oh really?" Oram let go of Sora's chin and went to his shirt, yanking up his sleeve. "What's this, then?" he asked, heart swelling with sadness as he saw yet another ugly mark on his arm. This one had five tiny cuts on it that surrounded a shaped bruise, almost as if someone had gripped him so hard nails dug into his skin.

"I told you, I fell," Sora said, yanking his arm free and gasping as he winced in pain from moving it too quickly.

"And this?" Oram continued, finding an identical mark on the other arm. Something was wrong, here. Something inside of him knew, but he stubbornly shoved the thought away.

"How many time do I have to tell you, mister?" Sora said, pouting. "I fell down!"

"Sora..." Riku began and then they heard laughter coming from the other end of the island. Several boats were making their way over and several children were rowing over.

"Oh no," Oram muttered. It was bad enough two saw him, but more? "I have to go, kids."

"What, where?" Riku asked, blinking.

"Just somewhere," Oram said. He knew Riku wouldn't buy this, and he was right.

"Wait," Riku said. "We'll come with you!"

Oram sighed. "Now?"

"Yes, now," Riku said.

Oram sighed again, this time in defeat. "Okay, just hurry up."

Riku pulled a reluctant Sora along with him as they followed Oram back into the forest, away from the three children who were exiting two boats. They walked quickly, despite Riku's protests to slow down. When they were far enough so that they could no longer hear the sounds of laughter, he came to a halt and waited for the two boys to catch up.

"In a hurry?" Riku asked sarcastically as he pulled Sora through the bushes.

"Sorry," Oram said absent-mindedly, looking around. They were all the way on the other side of the island now, the position of the sun giving him reason to believe it was around noon.

"What happened to not being seen?" a mocking, female voice said. The three looked over to see a woman around Oram's age walking over. She had a black cloak hung loosely over her shoulders with another badge. She stopped when she finally came up to them and stared down at the two boys.

"Awwww, so cute!" she squealed, causing Sora and Riku to back up and hide behind Oram.

"Hey, what happened to you?" she said with a look of concern as she bent down to look at Sora.

"He 'fell down'," Oram said, rolling his eyes. "In other words, they aren't telling me."

"He doesn't have to if he doesn't want to," she said, patting the boys head slightly.

"Who are you?" Riku asked curiously.

She laughed. "Name's Ninna, kid," she said, ruffling his hair. He pouted and swatted her hand away. Chuckling, she stood up and looked at Oram. "Where'd you run into these two?"

"They just followed me, I swear!" he said, putting his hands up.

"Yeah, yeah, but what is the King gonna say about this?"

"We'll worry about that later, now we just need to get back."

Sora and Riku, who had stepped out from behind Oram, watched the discussion, confused. "What are you two talking about?" Riku asked.

"I just talked to him. He said the vortex will open up in a bit," she said, not hearing Riku. "I guess the barriers just had a little burp and brought us here. But it can definitely take us back."

"Ermmm... hello?" Riku said.

"That's great, now we just have to not be seen."

"Guys?"

"Yeah, that's right. It should open in a few hours time."

"HELLO!" Riku shouted. All three looked at him, and Riku blushed lightly. Clearing his throat, he asked, "What are you two talking about?"

"Are you leaving?" Sora asked quietly, looking at Oram.

"Yeah, in just a bit," he said casually.

"Where are you going?" Riku asked.

"Back to my home," he said, smiling sadly as he saw the downcast expression on their faces.

"So soon?" Sora said sadly.

Oram nodded. "Yes, I am." He caught Riku giving his friend a look. It seemed as if Riku was waiting for Sora to tell them something, but Sora didn't say a word and just looked down at the ground.

"Hey Riku, can I talk to you for a bit?" Oram asked.

"Sure," Riku said nodding. "Sora, stay with Ninna."

Sora nodded and allowed the woman to bend down and look at his injuries.

Riku followed the man a bit away until they were out of earshot of the others. "Okay, Riku, what's going on?"

"What do you mean?" Riku asked innocently, but he didn't fool anyone.

"I know Sora didn't get hurt from a fall," Oram pointed out. "And I know you know what happened to him."

Ninna's ears perked up and she listened closely while talking absently to Sora.

"I...I can't," Riku murmured.

"Why not?" Oram asked. "I know something is wrong and if you want any help, you're gonna have to ask for it." Oram found it a bit shocking at how he had grown so fond of the two boys. It was weird, he was already worrying over them.

"But I promised I wouldn't tell!" Riku exclaimed. "We pinky swore!"

Once again, Oram squatted down to the boy's level and looked him straight in the eye. "Riku, if you're really his friend, if you care about him so much, then you need to help him. If you made everything better, I think he'll forgive you for breaking a promise."

"But we pinky swore," Riku whispered, looking down sadly.

Oram realized this was getting them nowhere, so he tried a new approach. "Okay, how about this?" he said. "You tell me and I won't do anything you don't want me to do about it."

Riku gave him a reproachful look. "You promise?"

"Pinky swear," he said, holding out a pinky. Grinning, Riku hooked the man's pinky for a brief moment and let go. "So, are you going to tell me?"

Riku nodded.

"Okay then," Oram said, "how did Sora get hurt?"

A moment of silence, and then the quiet response of, "His parents are mean."

It took a moment or two for the words to finally get through his thick skull. "You mean..."

"They're really mean to him," Riku said sadly. "I walked in on them in the kitchen one time. They were hitting him."

Oram just sat there, dumbstruck. _How could they do such a thing?_ he thought. _Why would anyone want to hurt a little boy like him? _And the innocent little voice Riku said it in just made things worse.

"Mister?"

Oram snapped back into reality and saw Riku glaring at him. "You won't do anything, will you?"

"Well I have to do something!" the man exclaimed but Riku cut him off.

"No, you promised!" Riku cried. "You promised me, you pinky swore, you wouldn't do anything!"

"Why haven't you told?" Oram asked.

"I tried," Riku said sadly. "I tried telling my mommy, but no one believes me. Nobody trusts a kid when a adult says they're wrong."

Oram felt a pang of sympathy; he was right. When it came down to it, people believed adults over kids. Especially a five-year-old kid who barely understood the word 'abuse'.

"But this is wrong," Oram whispered.

He stopped talking when he saw the look on Riku's face. It was that of pure and utter sadness, and something like dawning comprehension. There was a war going on inside the boy's head and Oram couldn't tell what it was.

"What is your home like?" Riku asked in a choked whisper. "Is it... a nice place?"

The older male blinked in confusion, but spoke anyway. "Yes, it's a wonderful place. There are a lot of nice people there."

"Is there a sun? A sky?" Riku asked.

This just served to confuse Oram even more, but he held his tongue about it. "Of course. The sun is always shining, and you can see the stars... every night."

Riku nodded and he choked as a sob erupted from his tiny throat.

Ninna had been listening the whole time and stopped talking to Sora the moment she heard the cause of his injuries. _How could someone do something like that! _She kept on eavesdropping, thanking the gods for her good hearing and ability to hold another conversation with someone at the same time.

"What did I say!" Oram exclaimed, startled at the tears.

"Take him with you."

Omar blinked as he sat on the ground in front of the little boy, tired of kneeling. "What?"

"Take," sob, "him," another sob, "with you!"

"I don't understand what you're saying, speak clearly," Oram ordered.

Riku wiped away at his eyes and took a deep breath; it seemed as if every word was causing Riku pain. "Take Sora with you, to your home."

"I can't do that!" Oram exclaimed.

"He can't stay here," Riku said sadly. "He'll never be happy. He says to me that he is, but I know he isn't. Sora's hurting, he's my best friend. I don't want him hurt! If he has to leave here to be happy, that's okay."

Oram wiped the fresh tears away from the boy's face. "You... you really want to take him with me? What about you?"

"I don't care about me!" Riku declared. "I just want Sora to be happy. We've been best friends forever, I promised to take care of him. Even if we aren't together, I'll be happy knowing he's happy. He needs to forget about this place, about his mommy and daddy. He has to leave so he can be happy again. That's all I want! Please, please, take him with you!"

Oram bit his lip as he tried to comfort the shaking frame of the boy, as well as fight back his own tears. "But, you may never see him again..."

"I know," Riku whispered. "But... I won't ever forget him, and that'll have to do. He needs to leave this place, you need to take him with you!" He choked back more sobs, fighting to keep them at bay.

Oram looked into the innocent face so full of courage. He knew he couldn't fight this, he just had to. "Alright."

"You'll take him with you?" Riku asked, looking both relieved and incredibly sad at the same time.

Oram nodded with a sad smile on his face. "If you'll be okay, it's fine."

The next thing he knew he was being hugged by the smaller boy. Riku wrapped his arms around his new friend's neck and hugged him hard. "Thank you," he whispered. "Thank you, thank you..."

Oram hugged him back. "I'll keep him safe," he promised. Looking up, he saw Ninna and Sora making their way over to them.

Letting go of his friend, Riku gave Sora a watery smile. "Go get him packed up," Oram whispered into Riku's ear.

"C'mon, Sora," Riku said with a fake cheerful voice.

"Where are we going?" Sora asked as he walked along side his friend back towards the dock.

"We have to go and get something."

Ninna and Oram watched them leave. When you could no longer see them, the woman said, "It's hard to believe anyone would ever want to hurt a sweet little kid like him."

"He talked to you?" Oram asked tonelessly.

"Yeah," Ninna said. "Said that if Riku was fine with us, so was he."

There was a moments pause before Oram said, "Am I doing the right thing?"

"I'm sure King Mickey'll be fine with it," Ninna assured him. "Once he figures out what hap-"

"That's not what I meant," he said. "I mean, they may never see each other again once the barriers are up!"

"But it's what he wants," Ninna said. "It's not really our place to meddle in the affairs of this world, but sometimes we have too. And if it means helping Sora, then it'll be okay. And who knows? Maybe they will see each other again someday."

"I guess you're right," Oram said, although he still looked doubtful. "But, do you think they'll be okay away from each other?"

"I'm sure they'll be fine," she assured him.

Oram chuckled. "Damn those kids sure grew on me," he observed. "And I've barely known them for two hours.

"They're just soooo cute!" Ninna squealed.

They both laughed a bit, the tense atmosphere lifting slightly. Strange how they could both get so deeply involved in two boys' lives and having barely known them for a day. I guess it's some people's nature to worm their way into other's hearts.

_An Hour Later _

Riku was fighting the urge to go to Oram and call the whole thing off and keep his friend here. He never wanted him and Sora to part. They were best friends! Through thick and thin they were there for each other, always. And now, as a final attempt to put a light back in Sora's heart, he was sending him away.

"Riku, why did you pack up some of my clothes?" Sora asked curiously as Riku carried a red tote bag that held a few of Sora's clothes, a flashlight (don't ask), and a tooth brush.

Riku sighed, looking over at his friend. "Sora, you're going on a trip."

"A trip?" the small boy repeated.

"Yep," Riku said, proud with his answer.

"Will you be coming with me?" Sora asked.

Riku sighed, thinking of what he could possibly say. He couldn't tell Sora he was leaving forever, the brunette would hide and never leave. "You know how I said one day, you and I could go on a big adventure?"

Sora nodded, remembering.

"Well, this is it," Riku said.

"But I thought you and I would go on an adventure together?" Sora said sadly, bottom lip quivering.

"No, not on this one," Riku said sadly. "We are going on different adventures."

"NO!" Sora cried. And before Riku knew what was happening, Sora glomped his middle, sending them both toppling to the ground.

"Sora!" Riku cried. It was hard enough saying goodbye, but this was making things worse. "Come on, you need to let go."

"No!" Sora said defiantly, hugging his best friend closer. "If I let you go, you'll leave me!"

Riku knew this was getting them nowhere so he just wrapped his arms around the other boy and hugged him back. They stayed like this for a while until Riku heard stifled sobs. Looking down, he saw tears leaking from Sora's eyes.

"Hey, hey, don't cry!" Riku said, wiping away the tears. He carefully wiped the tears away from his left eye, but it still made Sora wince. "This is why you're going on a trip," Riku told him, pointing to the bruise. "So you can get away from your parents."

"But I want you to stay with me!" Sora insisted.

"No, this is where I belong," Riku said sadly. "And it wouldn't be a great adventure if we went on the same one! If we go on different ones, then we can tell the other all about it when we get back!"

Sora sniffed and looked into a pair of green eyes. "Really?"

"Yup," Riku said, nodding.

"Okay," Sora said hesitantly, getting off of the silver-haired boy.

"C'mon, we gotta go get to Oram and Ninna," he said, picking up the tote bag in one hand and Sora's hand in the other.

"Where am I going?" Sora asked.

"It's a secret," Riku laughed, but even he didn't know.

"We'll see each other again soon, won't we?"

"Yeah, of course!"

And with that, they walked to the docks where they could have their final goodbye.

They reached it in a mere five minutes. Oram looked up and placed a grin on his face when he saw the two boys approaching. "So, you ready to go, Sora?"

Sora nodded. "But where are we going, mister?"

"You'll see when you get there," he said. "I'm sure you'll love it there."

"But I can come back and see Riku soon, can't I?" he asked innocently, and he felt Riku's hand tighten on his own.

Oram smiled sadly. "We'll see."

"It's coming in thirty seconds, get ready!" Ninna cried, checking a small machine that she held in her hand before snapping it shut and tucking it away safely in her pocket. "Riku, stand back."

Sora tried to release Riku's hand, but Riku held on. "Sora, promise me something."

"Okay," Sora said in a small voice, confused in his lack of knowledge.

"Promise to be good," Riku said. "Make new friends, don't get too scared... and never forget to smile." He grinned sadly. "And most important, don't forget me, okay?"

"Okay," Sora choked, small tears running down his cheeks.

"Twenty seconds!" Ninna warned.

"Here, take care of this for me," Riku said. He pulled his chain crown necklace off of his neck and pulled it around Sora's. "I'll be wanting this back, so take good care of it."

"I will," Sora said nodding.

"Ten seconds!"

"I'll miss you," Riku said.

"Just don't forget me, okay?" Sora said sadly.

"I won't..." and he hugged Sora close, just one last time.

"It's opening!" Oram cried. "Sora, let's go!"

"I'll come back!" Sora said. "Wherever I'm going... you'll always be my best friend!"

"I'll see you again," Riku whispered, stepping backwards. Their hands finally slipped apart and a swirling blue vortex opened behind them. Oram took Sora's shoulders gently and dragged him backwards, stepping slowly through the portal. The last the two boys ever saw of each other was the other waving goodbye, tears in their eyes. Best friends forever, hearts combined...

**Done **

Me: For now, I am done. Thing get better soon, so stay tuned!

Riku: Now for you to work on Flickering Light.

Fire: yup. Give Digi back her job. I must say this wasn't half bad spell checking (Whacks spell checker) But it STILL wont take Sora and Riku as real names! ( continues whacking computer.)

Me: (sighs) I know, leave me alone! Ja ne and review, people!


	2. A Reason to Believe Nothing Else

Me: Okay, I tried really, _really_ hard to type Flickering Light but nothing came to me. But I feel really inspired for this fic so I hope you enjoy it! I got a lot of reviews saying that it made them cry, which makes me sad and happy at the same time. I like it when my story touches people's emotions like that.

Riku: Yeah, yeah, just keep on writing.

Me: Stupid muse. But very sexy at the same time (glomps).

Riku: ...can't...breath.

Fire: (wakes up) Don't kill him Wish. Fan girls are sending characters like him to pre-extinction.

Me: (happy dance) Enjoy!

**Disney Castle **

"Oh come on, Oram, lighten up! It was just a bit of water!"

"No, I will not lighten up! It was an entire bucket of water!"

A black clad figure was storming down the hallway, light brown locks dripping wet as they swung wildly around his flustered face. A brunette was following him closely, an amused look on his face as he tried to calm the older man down.

"You can't be mad at me forever!" the brunette claimed.

"Oh yes I can!" Oram argued. "You're a worthless little brat who fell from the sky and I wish we never took you in!"

"How many times are you going to use that same line?" the other one asked, rolling his eyes; the words didn't effect him much since they had been said to him too many times. "And I did not fall from the sky!"

"Oh yes you did!" the man said, rounding the corner with the young teen still following him closely. "You fell from the sky and we gratefully took you in. And how do you repay me, by setting up a trap that dumped a bucket of water on me the moment I opened the door!"

"It wasn't just water," the boy said. "It was very, very cold water. There's a difference."

Oram flailed his arms up in the air in defeat. "You're impossible!"

"Nah, it's just that no one can stay mad at me for too long." They came to a halt in what was the Throne Room, the teen beaming up at his guardian. "C'mon, you know you love me."

Oram eventually broke down and ruffled the younger boys hair. "Yeah, yeah, don't remind me."

The boy grinned wider, happy to have Oram on speaking terms with him again. He had spiky brown hair that seemed to defy the laws of physics. Crystal blue eyes were set in tanned skin that made him look as if he just came off of an island. That's the way his tan always turned out, as if it were from an island. He wore black jeans, a white t-shirt, and a red and black jacket over the top of it. An over-large belt looped around his waist and trailed down his hips along with several heavy chains. He also had a few scars here and there. Some he remembered, like when he had broken his leg just last year, and others that were much more faded. But he had no idea where he got them from and everyone just kept telling him he fell down when he was only a baby.

As far as he knew, he, Sora, had lived here his entire life. King Mickey said they lost all of the albums with his baby pictures in it but they had plenty of them starting when he was four. It was kind of nice not to have any embarrassing baby pictures to show around, but still he wondered. They say when you get older, memories of your early childhood faded away. But still, most people had a few scattered memories of when they were four or three. But Sora had none, all he could ever remember was living in Disney Castle and nothing gave him reason to believe otherwise.

"So what are you up to today?" Oram asked as he gladly excepted a towel from a maid standing nearby.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me!" Sora remembered. "Have you seen Donald and Goofy around anywhere?"

"No, why?" Oram asked, raising an eyebrow as he towel dried his hair.

"They were supposed to be giving me my driving lessons on the gummi ship!" Sora said brightly, grinning that cheesy grin of his.

Oram's lips twitched slightly; the reason Goofy and Donald had suddenly disappeared dawning on him. "Tell you what, I'll send them your way if I catch 'em."

"Thanks, Oram," Sora said. And with that, he trotted down the hallway and out of sight.

Chuckling, he said in the direction of a giant banner, "You can come out now."

"How'd you know we were here?" a duck squawked as he stepped out from behind the bright blue banner. A blue uniform adorned his white feathers with a wizards hat perched on top of his head.

"At least we don't hafta crash another of them gummi ships!" a tall dog added, stepping right behind his companion in the direction of Oram. "We were runnin' outta test ships!"

"Yeah, but if you don't give him the lessons that I have to," Oram reminded them. "And as good of friends you two are, I am not giving the kid his driving lesson."

While Oram and Donald continued to squabble over who would give Sora his lesson, Goofy looked happily out the window. He could see Sora talking to the hedge trimmers, probably asking where Donald and Goofy was.

"It's weird, ain't it?"

Oram and Donald stopped arguing to look over at Goofy. "What's weird?" Donald asked.

"How much Sora's grown!" Goofy pointed out. "I still remember the first day we met the little guy." And they all did.

_Flashback _

_King Mickey tapped his foot impatiently on the hard floor of the Entrance Hall inside of Disney Castle, waiting for the blue portal to open and return his two most trusted spies. _

_"Mickey, calm down," his wife, Queen Minnie, advised. "They'll come back soon." She, Donald, Goofy and Daisy were also waiting along side of him, staring straight ahead. _

_"I know, I know, I'm just worr" _

_His words stopped as they were blinded by a bright blue light coming from a glowing orb that hovered in mid-air. _

_"About time," Donald snapped, hands on his hips as he eyed the portal. Sure enough, two figures stepped out of it and the light died down, dimmer and dimmer it got until they could clearly see Oram and Ninna. _

_"Are you two okay?" Daisy asked worriedly. _

_"Of course!" Ninna chirped, bouncing on the balls of her face and eyeing a small, what appeared to be lump, hiding behind Oram. _

_"Ummm, I think ya got something stuck to yer leg, there, Oram!" Goofy pointed out, pointing to the small trembling bundle that hid behind the man. _

_King Mickey tilted his head to the side lightly to see it better but it moved clear out of sight, going farther into his protector's shadow. _

_"Sora, it's okay," Oram coaxed gently. "These people are my friends, they won't hurt you." _

_"Sora?" King Mickey repeated, raising an eyebrow suspiciously. _

_Oram grinned sheepishly. "Well, you see your majesty, we, err... we umm... the thing is..." _

_"Please tell me that isn't a person," King Mickey said. "Wait, hold on, let's start over. Please tell me that isn't a person from another world." _

_"We can explain!" Ninna said worriedly. "You see, we had no choice!' _

_"But that's meddling!" Donald claimed. "What were you thinking bringing someone from another world here!" _

_"But he's only four years old!" Oram said; he was now peering behind himself at the figure who was trembling even more at all the shouting they were making. "Now if you don't mind, keep your voices down. You're scaring him!" _

_"Four years old?" Queen Minnie said worriedly. "But what about his parents?" _

_"We can explain that later," Ninna said. "But Sora couldn't stay there." _

_Oram kneeled down and hunched over the small figure whom no one could see yet. They heard whisperings which was undoubtedly Oram trying to the coax the boy out of hiding. They all stared as Oram stood up again and slowly, very slowly, Sora peeked his head out from behind Oram's leg. _

_"Come on, they won't hurt you," Ninna told him, eyes sparkling as she saw the adorable, yet saddening, look of fear on his face. _

_"Your majesty, can you please come here for a moment?" Oram said to Queen Minnie, who hesitantly walked over and knelt before the small boy. _

_"Sora, can you let her see your eye?" Oram asked nicely. A few moments later, Sora fully revealed himself, stepping out from his wall of protection and everyone gasped. _

_The whole left side of his face was swelled in a large bruise that almost seemed to get worse and worse with the way it looked. _

_"Oh my," Queen Minnie gasped. "Just hold still for a moment, okay?" she asked. Raising her hand, she laid in gently on his injury and watched as he winced from the pain, but didn't let out so much as a whimper. Her hand glowed green and you could see Sora visibly relax as the hurt drifted slowly away into a cool comfort, the shadowed skin lightening until returning to it's original color. _

_"There's more on his arms," Oram said softly as she pulled her hand away. Rolling up his sleeve, Minnie inspected the other ugly mark that everyone in the room had a clear view of it and their faces turned to sorrow. _

_Ninna and Oram smiled grimly, knowing they finally got what had happened. Minnie finished with the one arm and moved onto the other, healing an equally painful bruise. _

_"Done." she stood up and smiled sadly. "All better, young man," she said sweetly. _

_Sora peered at both his arms, grinning broadly. He looked as if he was hit by a sudden reminder, and he turned to the mouse who had healed him. He bowed slightly saying, "Thank you very much, Miss." _

_Queen Minnie smiled at him. "Of course." _

_King Mickey walked up to him next, smiling kindly at him. "Hiya, Sora. Where did you come from?" _

_The thing Sora looked like he wanted to do most right now was find the nearest, darkest hole and hide in it. But his face showed evident signs of thinking as if remembering something again. "Destiny Islands, sir." he said quietly after another few moments. _

_"My, you're a polite little boy." Daisy thought out loud. _

_"Riku told me not to be rude and to mind my manners." Sora recited quietly, shifting on his feet cutely. _

_Oram opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by a loud "SQUEE!" and a scream from Sora. It was... the author of this fic here to squeeze cute chibi Sora to death! I wish, nah, it was Yuffie. _

_"Ahhhh, it's attacking me!" Sora squealed as a yellow and green clad girl hugged him. _

_"Aww, he's soooo CUTE!" the girl exclaimed, hugging him tighter and causing his face to turn blue. _

_"Lemme go, lemme go!" Sora cried. _

_"Yuffie, get offa him!" Goofy said angrily. _

_"No, he's too cute!" Yuffie claimed, burying her face into his soft brown hair which made the brunette struggle even more. _

_"Yuffie, this is an order!" King Mickey declared. "Get off of him! Now!' _

_Extremely reluctantly, Yuffie set Sora free. The boy immediately ran to the closest thing around and hit behind it. This thing happened to be King Mickey. _

_"Don't let her get me!" Sora wailed, trembling behind King Mickey. _

_"Look, now he's scared of you!" Ninna snapped as she and King Mickey tried to calm Sora down. _

_"Who isn't scared of her when she does that?" a masculine voice said from the hallway. _

_"Shut up, Squall." Yuffie said, pouting. _

_"It's Leon." he corrected her coolly. He raised an eyebrow at the small boy. "What's with the kid?" _

_"It's more like who is the kid." a tall brunette girl said form next to him. She wore a long pink dress with her hair tied in a ponytail and a flower imbedded in her hair. She smiled kindly down at the boy. "Don't be afraid of Yuffie, she won't hurt you. She just... over reacts." _

_Sora, who had no clue what 'over react' meant, calmed down slightly at her pleasant tone. _

_"This here is Sora," Goofy said, patting the boy's shoulder. "He'll be stayin' with us!" _

_"Says who!" Donald squawked, who King Mickey had been expecting to speak up long before this. _

_"Where else is he going to go?" Oram asked quietly. _

_Yuffie was jumping up and down in joy. "Yay, yay Sora's staying with us!" _

_Sora eyed the girl wearily from the corner of his eye as he stood there awkwardly, unsure of whom to trust. Riku told him to be good, to make new friends, but these people seemed crazy; especially Yuffie. Some didn't seem to even want him there. _

_Aerith bent down to his eye level and brushed some bangs form his face. "Where did you come from?" she asked kindly. _

_"Destiny Islands," he replied quietly. _

_"What, did you like the place so much you decided to bring back a souvenir?" Leon asked Oram and Ninna tonelessly. _

_King Mickey sighed. "We'll explain it to you later, Leon." Looking down before mentioned the boy, he asked, "Sora, are you hungry? Do you wanna go with Donald and Goofy to the kitchens?" _

_"That's us!" Goofy told him cheerfully, pointing over to Donald in the process who was currently fuming. Seeing the fearful look Sora was giving Donald, he said, "Aw, shucks, don't mind him, Sora! He's just a grumpy puss!' _

_"Hey!" Donald protested, but was ignored as Goofy stretched out a hand to the young boy. _

_"C'mon, it's okay," Goofy coaxed gently. Sora eyed the hand for a moment or so before hesitantly taking it. "There ya go!" Goofy said. "C'mon, we'll show ya where it is." And without another word, he led Sora to the doorway. Sora looked behind him at Oram who waved at him encouragingly. With that, Sora disappeared from sight with the duck and the dog. _

_"Alright mouse, what's going on?" Leon asked grumpily. _

_"Well, you see..." _

_End Flashback _

"He was so small back then," Goofy reminisced, smiling fondly at the memory.

"Yeah, he was," Oram mused. "He really has grown over the past ten years."

"And what about that vow you made?" Donald snapped, crossing his arms.

"Eh?" Oram said absent mindedly.

"The vow you made when Sora first came here." Oram's stomach dropped with a fresh wave of guilt as Donald continued. "You said that when he was older, you'd tell him where he cam from. His home. Destiny Islands. And Riku."

Oram remained silent, staring off into space as he remembered.

_Another Flashback _

_King Mickey was wondering his study later that night, waiting for them to come. The ancient grandfather clock in the corner of the room ticked away the minutes with an annoying ticking sound that was slowly driving him insane. His ears twitched with every tick, eyes following the waving motion of the gold rod inside it's glass cage. _

_He was just about to summon his weapon to blow the stupid thing up when he heard a erupt knocking on the door. After jumping five feet in the air in surprise and waiting for his heartbeat to return to semi-normal, he said, "C-come in!" _

_The door opened and Leon, Aerith, Ninna, Oram, Donald and Goofy walked in. _

_"Ahh, I've been waiting for you guys," King Mickey said. "Sit down." _

_Most took places by the fireplace but Oram and Leon just stood by the wall, preferring this to sitting. _

_"So, what did you want us here for?" Aerith asked her King. _

_"I was hopin' to sort out the story with Sora," he told them. _

_"What's there to sort out?" Oram asked. "The kid was abused by his parents, I found him, his friend told me to take him with me and..." _

_"Wait, hold on," Aerith interrupted. "What do you mean his friend?" _

_"A little boy by the name of Riku," he replied. "He's a year older then Sora. He told me to take Sora with me." _

_"And you listened to a kid?" Leon asked, raising an eyebrow. _

_"I had no other choice!" Oram cried in his defense. "Ya should have seen the kid! He was so serious and..." _

_"How can a kid be serious?" Donald asked. _

_"I don't know, but this one was. I could tell it in his eyes, he really wanted Sora to go with us. He said that he wanted Sora happy, and the only way for that to happen was for Sora to leave that place and get away from his family." _

_"Not a lot of kids would make that kinda sacrifice," King Mickey said thoughtfully. _

_"I think what Riku wanted most," Ninna said, "was for Sora to be happy and safe. He cared more about his best friend then he did himself, that's why he told Sora to go with." _

_"Aww shucks." Goofy said, blowing his nose. _

_"Yes, but still," Aerith said while patting Goofy on the back, "Are you sure it's safe for him to stay here?" _

_"Why wouldn't it be?" Ninna asked. _

_"Well," she said thoughtfully. "What if he remembers where he came from? You know, Destiny Islands. Children aren't very good at keeping secrets, the word could get out he came from another world." _

_"And he won't forget Riku in a hurry, either," Oram said thoughtfully. _

_"He's only four years old," Mickey told him. "When you're that young, you can forget things. When Sora gets older, maybe in a year or so, Sora will forget all about that place." _

_"But that's not fair!" Ninna exclaimed. 'What about Riku! They're best friends, it's not fair for them to forget about each other!" _

_"If Riku is as mature as you're describing him," Donald said, "then he probably already knows Sora will forget about him. He's probably just happy enough with memories of Sora, rather him being happy and away then sad and close." _

_There was a long pause after Donald's words in which no one looked at each other, at a lost of what to say. Finally, Aerith spoke up. "So, what should we do your majesty?" _

_"It's obvious what we have to do," King Mickey said. "Sora will be staying here with us." A grin was cracking onto some of their faces until he said, "But I think it's best that we don't grow too attached." _

_"Attached?" Goofy repeated. _

_"Yeah. One day, some way, Sora may just end up going back to Destiny Islands. And if that happens, it will be easier to let go." _

_They nodded in understanding, thinking it easy enough not to grow attached (morons). _

_"I still don't think it's fair he forgets about where he came from, though." Ninna told them. _

_"Tell ya what," Oram said with a sigh. "I tell him all about it when he's old enough. Say, eighteen." _

_"No way!" Ninna gasped. "Ten!" _

_"Seventeen!" _

_"Eleven!" _

_"Sixteen!" _

_"Twelve!" _

_"Fifteen!' _

_"Thirteen!" _

_"Fourteen," King Mickey said, tired of the arguing. "Oram, when Sora reaches the age of fourteen, do ya promise ta tell him?" _

_Oram nodded. "I vow to tell him, no matter what." _

_End Flashback _

"Oh yeah,…….. That." Oram said, his face dropping a bit. He snapped out of his trance when he heard running footsteps. Looking up, he saw Sora running towards the three with a triumphant grin on his face.

"Ha, I found you!" he said with a smirk, pointing at Goofy and Donald. "I knew you were hiding from me!"

"Oh, errr, h-hi Sora," Donald laughed nervously.

"Don't try that innocent thing with me," Sora said. "You promised that today you'd give me another gummi ship lesson!"

"But you already crashed three of them this month alone!" Donald squawked.

"So? I'm getting better!" Sora insisted, pouting. "C'mon, teach me! Teach me ,teach me, teach me, teach me, te"

"Already, alright!" Donald snapped. "Keep that spike head of yours on, I'm coming!"

"YES!" Sora cried in victory, punching the air with his fist.

"Go onto the launch pad, we'll meet you there in five minutes," Donald said, but Sora didn't buy it.

"You're gonna ditch me!" Sora predicted. "As soon as I'm gone you'll take off."

"Don't worry, Sora, they'll be there," Oram said, grinning. "I promise." Seeing no change of emotion in Sora's face, he said, "Now have I ever broken one of my promises?"

Sora grinned back and shook his head. "Alright, five minutes. And if you're not there I'll sick Pluto on you!" With that, he ran off down the hallway.

"Yeah, Oram you've never broken one of your promises," Donald mimicked. "Except for the fact that, you know, you still haven't told him yet!"

Oram looked guilty. "I know, I know. I just don't want him mad at me."

"It's happening."

Twirling around on the spot, they spied King Mickey walking up to them with an 'I told you so' look on his mouseish features.

"What's happenin'?" Goofy asked, scratching his head.

"You've grown so fond of him," King Mickey pointed out. "Now you can't even tell him where he's really from!"

"Don't tell me you haven't gotten to like him too much!" Oram protested.

"King Mickey sighed. "Yeah, you're right. I couldn't tell him it myself either."

"It's just that whenever I think of telling him, I think of him leaving," Oram said. "I think about him going back to Destiny Islands forever and us never seeing him again. No matter how much we want to deny it, Sora's become a huge part of this place. Of us."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Donald said sadly. "Little squirt's gotten to me, too."

"Me three," Goofy added.

After a moment of silence, Oram said, "Goofy, Donald, weren't you supposed to meet Sora now?"

"AHH!" they both exclaimed in surprise. Without another word, they darted off towards the Launch Pad.

**Launch Pad **

"Hello, anybody there?" Sora shouted to the empty room. He had arrived at the Launch Pad to find it completly deserted, racks they kept test ships empty.

"Hmm, guess there on lunch break," Sora said to himself. He walked down the rows, peering around for a spare gummi ship but all the ones he found were broken. Well, he knew for a fact that he had been the one who had broken them.

He finally got to the place of last resort, the place that always had a gummi ship. It was a holder down at the far end of the vast room but when he got there, there was no ship there. "Man, I must have busted a lot of them," Sora murmured; he had never seen this section empty before. That must have also been why he had never seen the door there. That is, until now.

Sora walked up to the door and lightly brushed his fingers across it; it was freezing. Pulling his fingers back quickly, he discovered a thick pad of dust on his fingertips. He wiped more off the top and read a sign: "GUMMI PERSONEL ONLY". They must have expected him to want to go in. And as Sora, he had to do his part not to let them down!

He grinned and thrust the door open, turning the rusted doorknob.

Inside, he finally discovered what was in there. It was shocking, he never thought he would see anything like it in his life! It was...

**Done **

Me: ...the ultimate cliffhanger!

Readers: (groans)

Fire: O.O…..EVIL!

Me: (cackles and has desks, computers, and mutant ducks thrown at her) AHH, I'M SORRY! I was planning on making it longer, but it cut it off for later on. Reviews make me happy, but I'm working on Flickering Light next. Ah well, ja ne!


	3. I Can't Trust You Anymore

Sora: (squeezes rubber duckie)

Riku: Okay, I'm going to ask you again. Why the hell are we in A BATHTUB!

Me: Cause while writing this, I'm floating around in a nice hot bubble bath (smiles and shows notepad she's writing on) So while reading this, realize it's all being written while I'm in a bathtub... ya know what, don't think of that.

All: We won't.

Fire:…….( is laughing ass off) rub a dub-dub, 2 muses and a writer in a tub.

Sora: I like rubber ducks!

Me: SILENCE! (shoves handful of strawberry pocky into Sora's mouth)

Sora: (munches contently)

Me: (sigh of relief) Alright, on with the story!

Rubber Duckie: QUACK!

_Disney Castle _

...Absolutely nothing.

Sora had never thought he'd see the day when he walked into a room of Disney Castle that had absolutely nothing in it. Sighing, he murmured, "So this is it?"

He was in a gray, misty room that was only around fifteen feet in diameter, but seemed to stretch up endlessly. Meek sunlight shown through tiny slits that lined the vast walls of the place, and ran up it's entire length. But the air was so thick with dust Sora couldn't see the ceiling, but he had a strong suspicion that it stretched up through the entire center of the castle.

Just as he was about to leave (it was getting kind of hard to breath in there) he heard voices. Turning around, clouds of dust rising up while doing so, his attention focused on one of the sets of slits.

Slowly walking up to it, he stared at it closely. He then heard the voices again; it was the maids. "What the..." Sora murmured. Squatting down he peered through and saw two Disney Castle maids chatting amongst themselves. Standing up, he trotted over to another set of vents, then another and another; all showed through to different rooms. Staring up along the walls, he finally came to realization as to what room this was.

"The Ventilation Room," Sora whispered to himself. All the room in the palace, everyone one of them, led straight from here through vents in the walls or the floor. This was a safety precaution incase they needed to leave immediately; they'd just climb through the vent and drop down to this room and take a gummi ship out of the castle. Sora had known this room existed but had never known where to find it. The Ventilation Room was at the heart of Disney Castle.

Looking around a bit more he found that there was nothing else. Shrugging to himself he turned fore the second time, preparing to leave. He stepped across the even ground that had at least an inch or two of dust on it when he realized a bit of the floor raised up unevenly. His head snapped to the left as he saw something curling from beneath the thick blanket of gray.

Sneezing as he knelt down, Sora fingered the area gently. Something pried up from the ground and Sora realized it was a piece of paper. Lifting himself and the object up, he used his gloved hand to wipe off the dust. The dirty substance filled his nostrils, causing another sneeze to rack his body so violently that even his crown necklace jangled.

Peering at the slightly yellowing paper through a thin film of gray, he realized it was a picture. Squinting his eyes, he made out two figures.

Sora's heart felt a familiar jolt send tingles through his heart to the end nerves in his arms and legs. There were two young boys in the picture, both with their arms around each other's shoulders in front of a palm tree. He could just make out an ocean to the left. The boy on the left had shoulder length hair, very light in color he could see. It blended well with the dust around the picture, but it was dulled by the years of old that and taken away it's brightness; sea green eyes poked out from short little bangs that hung casually around the top of his face. He had his arm wrapped around the another much smaller boy with spiky hair. And his eyes shown bright from the dust. Bright azure eyes... Sora's eyes.

The brunette's eyes widened to their normal size and beyond, hands starting to shake as he flipped the picture over. On it were words in an untidy scrawl that took up most of the page, and it read:

_**Dear Sora, **_

_**Remember that I'm always right here when you feel scared and we'll see each other again someday. Be good, make new friends and never forget me! Best friends forever! And remember to take care of my necklace! **_

_**RIKU **_

"Riku..." Sora whispered in shock. "Riku... Riku..." he flipped the picture back over and memories suddenly collided with his head like a ton of bricks as those green eyes pierced his.

_"Sora, promise me something."  
"Okay," Sora said in a small voice, confusion running a mock in his head.  
"Promise to be good," Riku said. "Make new friends, don't get too scared... and never forget to smile." He grinned sadly. "And most important, don't forget me, okay?"  
"Okay," Sora choked. He could feel sobs choking up from his throat and tears of innocence brimming from his eyes.  
"Here, take care of this for me," Riku said. He pulled his chain crown necklace off of his neck and pulled it around Sora's. "I'll be wanting this back, so take good care of it."  
"I will," Sora said nodding.  
"I'll miss you," Riku said.  
"Just don't forget me, okay?" Sora said sadly.  
"I won't..." and he hugged Sora close, just one last time.  
"I'll come back!" Sora said. "Wherever I'm going... you'll always be my best friend!"  
"I'll see you again," Riku whispered, stepping backwards. _

Sora felt his eyes beginning to flow with tears, but the memories just kept on coming.

_Hands clenched tightly around his arms and he was shaken harshly, eyes rolling back and forth inside of his head. He felt a hard force slam into his right cheek, making his head go flying to the side as he stumbled to the ground. _

_"Daddy, stop, please stop!" _

Sora shook his head frantically, trying to clear away the unwanted memories. 'Make them stop! ' Sora thought frantically. 'Please, dear gods, make it stop!' There was no heed for his please.

_Little Sora huddled shakily under the blanket of his bed in his new room. Lightning shattered across the skies and he curled more into a fetal position, wishing his best friend were here to tell him it was alright. To tell him it was just lightning and Riku would protect him from the monsters that hid under his bed and in his closet. But all he had was the flashlight the silver-haired boy had given him. _

_Thunder followed the lightning with an ear splitting crackle that sent another surge of shock through the fragile body, and the flashlight died. _

_He banged it desperately with his tiny fists, tiny sobs drowned out by the force of rain drop bullets slamming into the walls of the castle and cold glass of his window. But no matter how many times he hit it, the flashlight would not turn back on. He was left alone in the dark. _

_Innocent tears rolled down his paling cheeks as he tucked his head into his knees and lay there beneath the blankets, trying to forget about the demons in hiding. He wasn't safe. Not without Riku. _

_More sobs erupted from his throats, body jumping every time the thunder boomed and lightning lit up the room with an eerie light every minute or so. Tears fell like the rain outside until eventually, the little boy cried himself to sleep... _

"No, no," Sora whimpered, the picture falling from his trembling fingers and his feet slipped in the gritty thick dust on the floor. He scrambled backwards from the dropped photo, attempting to get as far away as possible. No matter how far he got. the memories kept on coming.

_A seven year old brunette walked along side his guardian, Oram, hands held out and balancing himself as he walked on the banister. Oram kept a close eye on him, just incase gravity decided to take it's toll and bring him down. _

_"Hey Oram?" Sora asked, a confused frown on his face; something had been lurking at the back of his mind for a while, and he needed to ask before he forgot like he usually did. _

_"Eh?" Oram replied. _

_"I always lived here, right?" Sora said innocently, smiling up at the father-like figure beside him. Oram stopped in his tracks, eyes widening in surprise. Seeing the older male stop, Oram blinked the glowing blue orbs that were his eyes and asked, "Oram?" _

_Oram shook his head to clear his mind, seeming as if a battle was going through his head. Looking the adolescent straight in the eye, he smiled softly. "Yes, Sora. You've always lived here." _

_Sora beamed up at him. _

"STOP!" Sora shouted at the top of his lungs, voice drifting through the hundreds of vents, bouncing off the walls and echoing into every room of the castle.

_Somewhere else... _

"STOP!"

Oram and Ninna looked up, along with their King, as they heard a familiar voice shout. Although it was a bit blurry, they could still figure out who it was.

"Sora!" Oram cried, eyes shining with concern.

"C'mon!" Ninna exclaimed, racing off in the direction she knew Sora had been heading from Goofy and Donald; the Launch Pad.

Oram's cape twirled behind him as he struggled to keep up with his friend, panting with the effort. But nothing was stopping him from getting anywhere, especially with the thought of Sora being hurt fresh in his thoughts.

"Where is he?" King Mickey thought aloud as he raced behind his two best spies.

"Last I saw he was at the Launch Pad," Oram shouted over his shoulder, but he slowed to a stop when he saw the people standing in his way.

"What happened?" Aerith asked urgently, Leon and Yuffie standing on at her side.

"We heard him scream," Yuffie whimpered, a bit nervous.

"C'mon, you guys!" Goofy shouted, peeking his head around the corner as Donald stood at the ready beside him. "Sora may be hurt!"

"We're coming!" Oram snapped, darting past.

"That guy can run fast!" Yuffie exclaimed as she and the others raced behind him.

"He's just worried about the kid," Leon said calmly, refusing to show his fear as well.

Half way down the hall they stopped, panting for breath as they stared ahead of them.

Although covered in a thick coat of dust, the brunette boy was still noticeable. Sora had his face down turned, not giving any recognition that he noticed they were there. He just stared down at the ground.

"Sora?" Oram asked cautiously, slowly stepping up to his charge. He reached out a hand to touch the boy's shoulder.

A loud smack echoed through the hallway as Sora abruptly slapped Oram's hand away. His wrist burned from the impact, but what hurt even worse was the look in Sora's eyes.

Blue eyes that always seemed to be dancing with joy were now darkened with anger, hurt, hatred. But what hurt him most was the look of uttermost betrayal sketched along every line of Sora's face.

Oram backed away from Sora and to the others, still staring wide eyed as Sora continued to glare with pure loathing. It was a look that did not suit the young man at all.

"Sora, what's wrong?" Aerith asked worriedly.

Sora said nothing, just looked all of them in the eye at turn. It was like he was looking for something, scanning their eyes as if looking for some sort of truth.

"Sora?" Goofy murmured quietly, getting a bit scared.

Slowly, very slowly, Sora brought up his hand to Oram, a piece of paper laying on his palm. Gulping nervously Oram stepped forward and with shaking fingers, snatched the paper up.

Bringing it up to his face, some sort of explosion went off in the pit of his stomach.

It had been ten years, but Oram could never forget that face. It was Riku, the little kid who had brought Sora to Oram. The one who told him to take Sora away... the one Sora had forgotten about over the years.

Until now.

He schooled his face into a blank stare although if you paid close attention, you could see fear on his handsome face. Flipping it over slowly, he read the words on the back.

Sora waited, watching his 'friend' closely. When no words came from Oram's mouth, no one shouting "Surprise!" or "Fooled you!", no one telling him it was all just a big prank, he decided to speak up. "Oram..."

The others felt the hidden message within his voice; Sora was not sure if that name was real anymore. The dark-haired man looked up into Sora's eyes with regret. He never meant to have Sora find out this way. Never...

"Who am I?" Sora asked quietly, and they were suddenly reminded of a bomb, just waiting to go off.

"You're Sora," Oram said blinking.

"Are you sure about that?" Sora hissed. "For all I know, I could be a Phil!"

This would have normally made them laugh, but now. They just stared in stony cold silence. Oram felt his heart twist painfully in his chest, hurting from those words. "Sora, you have to--"

But Sora cut him off. "Who am I?" he asked. "Who am I really?"

Oram sighed; he really wished someone would step in to help him right about now. "You're name is Sora."

"That's nice," Sora said sarcastically. "Now what about the rest?"

"What do you...?"

"WHERE DID I COME FROM!" Sora roared, the bomb inside of his heart finally going off. Everyone in the room winced. "WHO IS MY FAMILY, WHERE IS MY HOME? AND MOST IMPORTANTLY..." he pointed to the picture is Oram's now shaking hand. "WHO IS HE!"

"Sora, please don't be mad," Ninna whispered, walking up to Oram's side and placing a hand on the trembling adult's shoulder. "We were just doing what was best for you."

"What's best for me?" Sora repeated slowly. "Hiding my past from me is best! I don't know what the hell your idea of 'best' is but this isn't it! You lied to me for years!" His breathing came out in heavy huffs, stray locks of hair twisting around his face which was beat red from the anger and the screaming.

It was a shock no one suffocated from the silence that thing about the room, echoing thickly across the walls. Ears were clogged by unheard noise and it was a miracle they heard King Mickey say, "Sora, yes it's your real name, you came here when you were four..."

"Where did I come from?" Sora asked, the curiosity the only thing keeping him from screaming again.

"Another world, one called Destiny Islands," Oram croaked. "We got transported there by accident."

"And you loved the place so much you decided to bring me back home as a souvenir?" Sora hissed.

"No, that's not it at all!" Ninna exclaimed fearfully. "You couldn't stay there, we had to bring you here!"

"Why!" Sora snapped.

"Do you remember Riku?" Oram asked quietly.

Sora paused for a moment for slowly saying, "A bit... I remember he was my best friend."

"Anything else?" Oram asked bitterly.

"Sora blinked, recalling his vision in the Ventilation Room. "Darkness and... and... pain."

Oram nodded grimly. "That's why we took you away," he whispered. "Your friend, Riku, told him to take you with us so you could heal. Physically and... and emotionally."

"How did I get hurt?" Sora asked.

"Your parents beat you," he said so emotionally it made Sora take a step back in surprise. "They hurt you and Riku knew it."

"And... he told you to take me here," he whispered, eyes studying the carvings on the floor. There were tiny roses imbedded on the floor, he never noticed them before. Yeah, he wasn't looking at them.

"Yes," Aerith said softly. "When you came here, we swore we'd tell you but..."

"But what?" Sora asked, looking up at long last and finding his anger again. "You just forgot about it?" Looking at Oram who seemed to be praying he was going to wake up from the nightmare anytime now, he said, "I remembered something in that room. I remember asking you if I'd always lived here." Pausing to see if Oram would take up a defense for himself, which he didn't, he continued, "You said I did. You told me that I've always lived here!"

"I didn't want you to get hurt!" Oram said softly.

"Well what do you think I am!" Sora roared. "I don't care if you waited this long!" The others looked up hopefully. "But when I ask you something and you lie to me, that pisses me off!" Their faces fell. "I asked you all those things about my past. I asked why you had no baby pictures, who my parents were... and you lied! Every single one of you!"

"Sora, we're sorry!" Yuffie cried, small pinpricks of tears forming at the corners of her eyes. "We didn't want to lie to you!"

"But you did," Sora reminded her softly. His eyes weren't angry anymore, just hollow. His voice lost all emotion as he said, "You may not have wanted to, but you did. Every single one of you had plenty of chances to tell me the truth, but you never did. And that's why..." he slowly stepped backwards, "I can't trust you anymore."

_End _

Sora: You and your evil cliffhangers of doom.

Me: (sweatdrops) Oops, sorry. And incase you were wondering whether or not Riku will be coming into the story, he will be; I'm just not sure when. I'll try to fit him in as soon as possible! Oh, and if this seems a bit rushed, I apologize. I'm working through a case of nasty writer's block. Can you believe I started this chapter, like, two weeks ago?

All: Yes.

Fire:……(takes out Staff) You had to leave it hanging right there. Just WAIT till I I.M you tomorrow!

Me:... just shut up. Oh, and review, too! (flies away on Wishfire, her dragon)


	4. Riku

Me: Some of you may be asking; Why the hell hasn't she updated in a month?

Readers:...

Me: And I have a very simple explanation for it.

Readers:...?

Me:... It was all Fire's fault! (runs off cackling insanely)

Fire: eyes go wide:

Readers: GRAWR! (proceeds to hunt down Fire)

Fire: DAMN YOU WISH:takes out bazooka and runs like hell:

Me: Mwa ha ha! READ!

_On top of a Rooftop _

The wind whipped through silver hair like ripples in waves of the vast blue ocean that stretched out before his eyes. Green eyes sparkled beneath the silver locks, set in a pale face that was attached to a muscular frame.

He shifted his head and cocked it to the one side so the silver hair would fall out of his face. He didn't like it to be blocking his view. And what a view it was.

The sun was setting low in the sky, dipping below the line of blue and sending it's vivid shades of orange and reds billowing across the sky and skimming across the waters, reflecting in the mysterious depths of the ocean. A lone seagull flew across the sky towards the sun, letting out its cawing sounds that signaled the end of the day.

The young teenager barely took the time to see the sunset anymore, however much he loved it when he was a child. But when he was a child, things were... different.

Sighing, the teenager laid down on his back, arms folding behind his head for support. The sky above him had not been painted in the colors of a sunset yet, but were instead a bright blue.

_Trusting blue eyes shone up at him with trust and admiration as Riku hopped down from the tree, coconut in hand. _

_"Are you sure we can eat this, Wiku?" little Sora asked, brown locks hanging limply across his face. _

_"Of course we can!" Riku stated. "Here, let me show you how..." _

Teenage Riku shifted to the side to get rid of the view of the sky. Instead, he turned to face the main island. Standing out clearly on the edge of the island was a white wooden house. It had a perfectly aligned picket fence surrounding it and neat rows of petunias lining the straight path that led to a porch. Despite the wonderful breeze that wafted through the air, the windows were tightly shut, curtains clamped shut.

'It's not like they need to close those…' Riku thought bitterly. 'Nothing to hide anymore. No little boy to keep from view.'

Huffing angrily, Riku sat up. This was a bad idea, he should have just stayed home. But at home, he shifted through memories of keeping Sora in his room, hidden away from his brutal parents.

When he swam in the ocean, he could remember teaching Sora to swim. When he hung out with Wakka, Tidus or Selphie, he remembered the guilty feeling of leaving Sora behind when the boy refused to come out. Or couldn't come out.

No, it wasn't fair. That smiling little boy was smiling less and less, and Riku did what he knew he had to do. And now it was coming back to bite him in the ass.

Heavily resigned to a long evening, Riku let the thoughts run around in his mind on their own accord.

He remembered the day after he and Sora had said their good byes. No one noticed a thing. Well, this was to be expected; Sora often went missing for days, sometimes weeks, kept hidden in Riku's room or trapped in his own home. But after a month passed by, they finally noticed.

Those god damn bastards finally noticed.

Yes, thee was a search party that lasted for all of five days in which they checked Riku's house multiple times. And Riku had too let them. He had to be mistrusted; he couldn't let them know where Sora really was. Not that anyone would believe him.

Sometimes, Riku didn't want to believe it himself. There were times that he wanted to forget the little brunette. To live the rest of his life in peace. But he could never do that until he found Sora again. Like he had promised him ten years ago.

But Riku wasn't the only one who had remembered. Sora was remembered, alright, in the hearts of children. Corny, but true. Despite his shy nature, Riku's friends were Sora's friends as well.

And they remembered. Wakka, Selphie and Tidus were the first to notice Sora's disappearance. And they were the ones among the few who still remembered the boy. The adults of Destiny Islands, after grieving for a short period of time, turned around and went back to their business. They had completely forgotten about Sora.

And this is what made Riku what he was today.

Riku trusted no one. Not even his own parents. No one remembered that boy who went away ten years ago, nobody bothered to bring him up. No one wandered out loud if Sora was okay. Sure, his other friends remembered, but it wasn't enough. It was a daily thing for them now, like brushing your teeth. Remember it, speak it, shut it. Rinse, cycle and repeat.

Riku did not forget. And he was going to find Sora. No matter what.

_Disney Castle _

**"I can't trust you anymore."**

Nobody spoke a word. King Mickey was gaping at him, Yuffie looked like she was in shock, Leon didn't show anything, Oram wasn't looking him in the eye and Ninna had her hand clamped tightly over her mouth, eyes tightly shut and refusing to let the tears slide.

Sora continued to step backwards, trying to get them all in his range of view. He was confused, this wasn't funny, this was painful. He couldn't bear to see them like this, but it was all a fake! Everything! His home, his friends, his family... he didn't know who his family was! Nothing was real.

"Nothing is real," Sora whispered, snapping the rest out of their trance. "Here, nothing is real. It's all a fake... I don't even know where I am."

"Sora, please don't do this," Aerith begged. "It's not as bad as you think!"

"And why not?" Sora croaked, still stepping backwards. "You took me from my home, my life, and set me up here. You filled me with lies! Everything I know is a lie! I'm not from here! I'm from another world and you never told me before!"

His breath caught in his throat for a brief moment, a stinging sensation creeping up behind his eyes. "I want to believe you," Sora whispered. "But there's nothing to believe anymore."

The rest could only watch in stunned silence as the distressed boy finally turned around and ran off. Oram was still hunched over, giving the floor a blank look. The rest were staring at King Mickey, expecting him to give them an answer.

"There's... nothing we can do," King Mickey whispered slowly.

"What do you mean there's nothing we can do?" Ninna exclaimed. "There has to be something!"

"What do you want us to do, knock him over the head with a pipe to make him forget?" Donald squawked.

"Could we do that?" Yuffie asked excitedly.

"NO!" everyone chorused. She pouted.

_A Peak of Disney Castle _

It was an empty feeling.

To live your life with the people you loved, people you'd die for. To trust them beyond anyone else. When you needed help they were the people you came too. And no matter what, they shaped your life. They were the foundations under your castle.

But to have those foundations shatter...

When you realize the people you trusted the most deceived you the most, all the things you cherished were lies. That there was another world out there that you belong to, but to be taken away fro it to be tangled in a froth of lies threatening to boil over.

It was a sinking pit in the bottom of Sora's stomach. It hurt... it hurt so badly! He wanted his family back, the ones he had been with over the years! But look what they had done to him... nothing could excuse their lies! Nothing!

And it was with those troubled thoughts that the boy was scrunched up in a fetal position on the roof of a tower at the castle, confused. Below him he could hear people shouting his name, looking for him. He didn't want to go back. He was scared.

Sora never thought of his life as being under a shadow. Everything was perfect. And now he was paying the price. For something he had no control over! He had a wonderful life dangling in front of his ace and then it blew up, pain replacing the happiness, loneliness replacing the comfort.

He wanted Oram, He wanted his guardian to protect him like he always had. But now, there was nothing to protect Sora. He was all alone. And for the first time since he could remember, he felt the true meaning of pain.

_Leon _

"Damn it, kid, where'd you go?" Leon mumbled under his breath. Him and the others had decided to split up in search of the brunette. And unfortunately, Leon was paired with...

"Oh cheer up, Squall," Yuffie scoffed.

Oh Leon was going to murder that kid when he found him.

"He looked pretty scared," Yuffie said worriedly.

"He's fine," Leon said gruffly. But deep down, although he'd rather jump off a cliff then admit it, he really didn't believe his own words. Sora wasn't as stable as other people thought.

_Flashback _

_The gunner had finally been able to get away from all the noise of Disney Castle. It was complete and total chaos in the place, kids and animals jumping every which way. It got on his nerves and this was one of those precious afternoons when he found a deserted corridor with no one in it. _

_Or so that's what he thought. _

_His eyes snapped up at the sound of a crash and a small yelp of pain. Frowning, he jogged in the direction of the noise. _

_Skidding to a halt, he looked into a doorway to see a small boy trying to get up, a fallen and crashed vase behind him. Leon raised an eyebrow. _

_Sora, upon hearing Leon enter, jolted and he scrambled backwards, stuttering apologies. "I-I'm s-sorry, I-I didn't see where I was going!" _

_"Kid, it's fine," Leon told him, eyeing the small child who's frame had begun to shake. Was the kid always like this when he knocked something over? Sora had been here for two weeks and Leon had never taken the chance to talk to him. _

_But Sora would not listen. He was now walking up to Leon and he bowed down low, eyes scrunched up tight as if expecting something. _

_Leon stared at him in bewilderment before it finally hit him as to what Leon expected Sora to do. This was not right. _

_Sighing, Leon knelt down so he was eye level with the kid. "Look at me," Leon commanded softly. But when Sora just continued to shake and whimper, Leon folded his hand around Sora's chin and forced him to meet the brunettes eyes. _

_Leon was disgusted to see so much fear in a child's eyes. It scared him a bit; Leon had to do something about this now. _

_"I'm not going to hurt you," Leon whispered. _

_Sora blinked. "Aren't you going to hit me?" _

_Leon snorted is disgust. "Why the hell would I do that?" _

_"Not affected in the least by Leon's language, Sora replied quietly, "Daddy and Mommy would hit me if I broke something..." _

_"No one will do that to you here," Leon said sharply, making the smaller boy jump. Leon sighed in impatience; he wasn't good at dealing with kids. So he said in a much more gentler tone, "You're safe here, no one will hurt you." _

_Sora looked at Leon with a weird expression. "Promise?" he said in a small voice. _

_"I promise," Leon said firmly. "And if anyone lays a hand on you, I'll beat the shit out of them, okay?" _

_Sora giggled. "Okay!" he said happily. _

_Leon smiled slightly at the brunette's sudden change of mood. "C'mon, let's go get some ice cream." _

_"Yay!" Sora chirped. He took Leon's hand in his and the servants watched in wonder as stone-cold Leon led a little boy by the hand to go get some ice cream. _

_End Flashback _

Yeah, Sora was sometimes as stable as himself in a room full of children (or George Bush at a spelling B XD). Leon knew this very well, and they couldn't let Sora get too far.

_Another end of the Castle _

"Where did that kid get to!" Donald squawked impatiently as he walked along side him companion.

"Aw, you know Sora," Goofy said. "He'll turn up when he wants to."

"That's not good enough!" Donald snapped, but one could tell he was worried.

"I sure do hope he's all right," Goofy said frowning. "He was pretty upset…"

"Of course he's upset!" Donald said. "He just found out we've been lying to him his whole life!"

"Think he'll forgive us?" Goofy asked hopefully.

"Who knows?" Donald said, peeking into the trophy room.

They continued down the hallway, occasionally calling out the brunette's name. Goofy sighed, looking outside; thick gray storm clouds were rolling in from the West, covering the sun. He heard a distant boom, the warning of a storm coming on.

But as he continued the search for the distressed teen with Donald, a thought struck him. It was a memory from a long time ago, one on a rainy night just like tonight. (Readers: (go to kill Wish for the cliché ness)) (Fire: sharpens mallet)

_Flashback _

_Goofy's large feet slapped against the marbled floor loudly, humming tunelessly in beat with the rain that was pouring by the gallon outside. The storm had started somewhere around noon and hadn't stopped since, the chime of the giant clock now hitting nine. _

_Goofy was making him way down to the kitchens for some hot cocoa when he passed Sora's bedroom, the child who had mysteriously appeared with Oram and Linna a week ago. He stopped when he heard small noises coming from the inside of the room. It sounded as if someone were... _

_...crying? _

_Worried, Goofy knocked lightly on the door. "Sora?" he called softly, not wanting to scare the child. When no one answered and the sobbing continued, he opened the door slowly and walked inside. _

_It was pitch black inside the room and he closed the door behind him, feeling the darkness sweep around him as the last means of light died. The curtains were open but no moonlight seeped through the window, the moon hidden behind clouds of black and thunderous rain. _

_Lightning lit up the sky once again and the lanky dog heard a yelp of fright and in the few seconds the bolt of lightning lit up the sky, he saw a small lump shaking on the bed. _

_"...Sora?" Goofy asked. Reaching up to the side of the, he gently prodded the shivering bundle. He heard a small squeak and watched as the figure huddled away. _

_"Aw, don't be scared, it's just me," Goofy chuckled. He tugged down the blanket slightly and was met with glowing blue eyes. Goofy's heard melted a bit at the frightened look the tiny brunette was giving him. His short arms were clutching what looked to be a flashlight. _

_"Whatcha doin' under there?" Goofy asked, tilting his head to the side. He noticed the flashlight had a piece of tape stuck to it and another flashlight illuminated the untidy scrawl on it. Riku. _

_Eyeing Goofy as if he were the one thing even worse then the rain, Sora finally opened his mouth to speak. "I... I don't like the wain." _

_"Aw shucks, there's nothin' to be scared of!" Goofy exclaimed. "It's just rain!" _

_A loud clap of thunder erupted from the sky, making Sora jump. "Big boom!" Sora yelped. _

_"Do ya always get this scared?" Goofy asked curiously. _

_Sora shook his head slowly. "No, Wiku would sneak in my house when the wain came and he stayed with me." _

_Goofy smiled down at the boy. "Well, I ain't no wiku, I don't even know what a wiku is!" _

_Sora glared, which turned out to be more of a pout. "Wiku is my bestest friend!" _

_"Ohhh!" Goofy said, understanding (is that possible? O.O). "Well, I'm not your bestest friend, but I can still be your friend if ya want." _

_Sora peeked out from his safe blanket, exposing more of his tanned face. Goofy took that as an invitation to go on. _

_"If ya come on outta there, we can go to the kitchens and get some hot cocoa!" Goofy persuaded. "I'll stay up with you 'til ya fall asleep." _

_"Weally?" Sora asked. _

_"Weally! Hyuck!" _

_Slowly, as if he'd get whip lash if he moved to fast, Sora crawled from under the thick blanket. _

_"C'mon!" Goofy said, standing up. _

_Smiling a bit, Sora hopped out of the bed. He didn't really want to go with this creature anywhere; he wasn't Riku! But he was sure that his best friend would be proud of him if he did. So he followed the mutt (Fire: mutt? Your so mean wish!) through the door and into the kitchens, fear of the lightning forgotten. _

_End Flashback! _

"Hey, what are you waiting for ya big lump?" Donald snapped. "Are you gonna help me find him or what?"

Bt Goofy wasn't paying attention to him. Another bolt of lightning lit the sky and in it's light, he saw a lump that shouldn't be there on the curved roof of a tower.

"What are you looking at?" Donald asked, tapping his foot impatiently with his hands on his hips.

"There!" Goofy point at the roof. A few moments later the lightning lit the sky again. Staring closely, they could see a lone figure huddled a top of the tower.

"SORA!"

_End _

Me: MWA HA HA!

Reader: You haven't updated in TWO MONTHS!

Me: Because of One Piece.

KH Cast: (twitch)

Fire: whack's her on head with mallet: Damn one Piece…

Me: But good news! I'm off the OP train. It doesn't appeal to me that much anymore, so I'm completely KH dedicated now!

Readers: (cheer)

Me: Expect the next chapter out next Friday! Until then, ja ne!


	5. Wake Up

**Me: I have a serious problem with this fic.**

**Riku: Oh yeah? And what's that?**

**Me: The fact that this story has 25 reviews. My One Piece fic, What's With the Kissing, has 28. And it's a ONE-SHOT!**

**Sora: o.o That isn't right.**

**Me: No, it isn't! So unless you want me back in One Piece mode, I suggest you start reviewing. Honestly, is it really gonna take five chapters to out-rank a one-shot? (shakes head) You should be ashamed of yourselves.**

**Cast: (Are ashamed)**

**Me: Good. If this chapter goes well, I'll put up responses to reviews at the end. Oh, and Fire is gone for the next 12 days. So... this isn't beta'ed. If anyone out there would be kind enough to sub for her, please tell me! I could use the help!**

**Sora:... you're stalling the chapter, aren't you?**

**Me:...no...**

**Riku: (smirk) Yes you are.**

**Me: (eyes flame) Do you wanna be in this chapter or not?**

**Riku:...**

**Me: (smirk) Read on, my readers, read on. **

_Destiny Islands_

Groaning, he creaked one eye open. He heard a loud, annoying pounding in his head and it was getting on his fucking nerves. A few eye blinks later, he realized the pounding wasn't in his head. Someone was pounding on his door.

Grumbling something about killing whoever had woken him up, Riku swung his legs over the side of the bed, pulling himself into a sitting position. Yawning loudly, he stretched out his arms and shook his head.

The pounding on the door only increased, but this time he could hear his name being called. Riku's eyes narrowed. Tidus. That was the fifth time this month. That kid was going to get his face punched in.

Taking the steps two at a time, Riku landed on the ground floor. Strolling over to the door, he yanked the door open...

...and Tidus knocked on his face.

"GAH!" Riku shouted, jumping back in surprise and rubbed the spot Tidus had hit furiously. "Tidus, you asshole, what was that for?"

"Oops, sorry," Tidus said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

Tidus had also grown in the past decade. He had spiky blond hair on a head that was, as Riku often said, half empty. He had bright blue eyes, but not nearly as bright as Sora's, and he liked to stay fit which showed on his frame. he had blue jean shorts on, one leg hole cut off below the knee and the other cut above his knee. He just liked it that way. He wore a black jacket over a white t-shirt that was frayed at the edges.

"Is there a reason you're pounding on my door this early?" Riku growled. He and Tidus got along okay, but there were times like these that made him want to shove the blond into the ocean. "Then again, isn't there always?"

"First of all, it isn't morning," Tidus said, crossing his arms. "It's 12:30."

"P.M.?" Riku exclaimed.

"No, A.M.," Tidus said sarcastically. "Can't you see the moon out?"

Riku took a spare moment to quickly glance up at the cloudless, and moonless, sky before he returned to glaring at his friend. "It's still no reason to wake me up," he said.

"You've slept long enough," Tidus pointed out, oblivious to Riku's tone. His face turned more serious as he asked, "Did you see the meteor shower last night?"

Riku frowned. "Meteor shower...?" Riku murmured, wondering why Tidus had changed moods so quickly. He wasn't a girl on PMS... he hoped.

Then it hit him. The night before Sora disappeared, a day all the kids on the island remembered, there had been a meteor shower. Riku wasn't sure, but he had a feeling that whatever had brought Sora to that place was what brought Ninna and Oram here in the first place.

Just as Riku was contemplating whether or not that vortex would open again, Tidus somewhat voiced the silver-haired teens thoughts aloud. "Hey Riku, you don't think... you don't think that that meteor shower had anything to do with him disappearing, do you?"

Riku's head snapped up. "Meteor shower?" he asked, amazed. He was shocked Tidus would take time to notice something like that.

"I'm not stupid," Tidus said.

Riku snorted, but Tidus went on.

"I remember that night," Tidus said. "There was that meteor shower... just like last night. Maybe I'm crazy, but what if that meteor shower did something to Sora."

Riku raised an eyebrow, leaning against the door frame. "Like what?" he asked.

"Like make him disappear or something!" Tidus huffed. "And I was thinking that maybe if it made him disappear that time, it'll bring him back this time!"

Riku sighed. Tidus was grasping at straws here. Everyone on the island had gotten over Sora's disappearance, or at least that's what they showed on the outside. Riku avoided the subject. But he knew exactly where Sora was, but sometimes that w s worse then not knowing at all. It made him worry. What if those two people were worse then the brunettes parents. It happened such a long time ago that Riku wasn't sure of them anymore. He had trusted them ten years ago, but maybe he had been gullible! Maybe they had tricked little Riku.

Maybe... Sora was worse off then he had ever been on Destiny Islands.

Tidus hadn't given up either. But he wasn't afraid to show it. For years he went on impossible theories. It was just how Tidus was. Riku paid no attention to it and was called insensitive. It hurt when his friends said he no longer cared. But Riku did care. He knew more then any of them.

And that was why he kept quiet.

"Maybe," Riku said finally, shrugging. But the outlook didn't fool Tidus. The blond still thought Riku had just given up and that made him angry. But he didn't know what Riku knew, and it hid the truth. It was tearing Riku up from the inside out.

Tidus narrowed his eyes at the older boy. "You know what, Riku?" he said. "I don't think you even care anymore."

"What?" Riku hissed.

Tidus stepped back a bit, but was so less stubborn. "You heard me," he said. 'He was your best friend, Riku! And you forgot about him!" Tidus shook his head. "You didn't deserve to have a friend like Sora. The least you could have done was remember him."

Tidus took a few steps back and turned around. He trotted down the steps and walked briskly away across the sand, away from the house, leaving behind a very stunned Riku.

He could feel his breath quicken in anger and his eyes widened. He was caught between shock and anger. Shock that Tidus had spoken to him like that, and angry at what he said. How dare he accuse Riku of not caring anymore? He cared more then anybody on this whole damned island. He knew more then anyone about where his friend had gone.

He had to find Sora.

Riku put one step out of the door when he remembered he was half naked. Looking down he saw he was still in his pajama bottoms and he had no shirt on. He sincerely doubted any of the female population on Destiny Islands would mind. But he minded, especially when they were drooling over him.

Gah, stupid fangirls.

Stepping back into the safety of his house, Riku slammed the door shut and ran up the stairs three at a time to get dressed. Maybe Tidus was right. That meteor shadow did have something to do with Sora disappearing. If another portal opened, like the one after last decades meteor shower, it could possibly lead him to wherever Sora was. And if that did happen, if there was the slightest possibility...

...Riku would do anything possible to find that portal.

_Disney Castle_

"SORA!"

His ears perked at the sound of his name, but the brunette didn't answer. He was staring straight ahead, not seeing anything. Even if it weren't for the rain, he'd still be too lost in his own troubled thoughts to see anything. At all.

But it was raining. The cold was starting to leak through to his mind. Some part of his brain registered the fact that it had been raining for quite a while ago. Rain came down in torrents, battering the slanted roof top he sat on and streaming down like little rivers. He was soaked to she bone, water forever drenching him. His brown, spiky hair seemed to droop in t e rain, along with every other part of him.

Sora was sitting on the roof of a tower. His won special tower and Sora had been sure to lock away the entrance to it when he entered. He had found the place when he was eight and looking for a place to escape from people.

It had been one of those days where you just felt like shit when Sora stumbled upon this place. There was no really door to the tower and no one had ever found it. No one looked that hard, really. There was nothing, as far as they knew, of importance in the tower and they held some fear of what could be in it.

But one day, Sora fell through a rotted piece of wood and landed in a dank entranceway. Once climbing some stairs, he found this tower. And all he had to do was go up the attic on top of that room and it would lead him to this roof top. Dubbing it his "Secret Place," Sora hid the hole in the floor with an old ratty carpet and a heavy box. He could move the box at will and come up here any time he wanted. No one else knew of it, not even Oram.

Now Sora sat on top of it, letting the rain fall down. He was half hoping he would faint from the cold so he could wake up. Or maybe that this rain would wash it all away. It would get rid of the lies and make them real. Give him back the world he had believed in and lived a mere few hours ago.

But he knew that wasn't possible. This place, the people in it... they weren't real. They were fakes. Imposters. As far as he was concerned, they had kidnapped him from his home and brought him here, only to feed him lies. And Sora had forgotten everything else. He had dug his own grave.

It was... lonely. That feeling of emptiness impossible to describe. Like his parents were never really there, only figments of the imagination. All of his friends felt like a dream now. And he had woken up from that dream, only to wish he was asleep again.

To run into their arms and for everything to be all right. It was all he wanted. But not until he was asleep again. Not until he was back into that dream.

Thunder clapped through the night air, illuminating the night. Hell, maybe it wasn't night. It could be noon, for all he knew. The rain was sheltering the time of day. Hiding the truth. For now, Sora was content with this. The rain hid him, the darkness became his shelter. No one else could reach him.

And Sora never wanted them to.

_Destiny Islands_

Fully clothed, Riku left his house and let the wooden door shut behind him. His parents wouldn't be home for another few days since they had left on a trip to one of the islands for their honeymoon.

They left specific instructions not to burn down the house and to make himself dinner while they were out. Riku smiled a bit to himself. He was shocked his father managed to get her out of the house. She was one of the over-protective types and still believed her little Riku would get kidnapped by some strangers if she didn't check up on him every five minutes.

Riku walked down the steps and headed towards the docks. If that meteor shower really did open up the portal, then he felt that it would be in the same place it had been in last time.

There were two possible places. The small, deserted island was where Ninna and Oram had shown up. But he wasn't sure where exactly it was, since the two hadn't been together when the came here. Whatever got them here chucked them out at different spots.

The second place was by the ducks. But they knew exactly where it would open, so it must have been created by someone specifically for their return. He had no reason to believe they would randomly open up a portal in the exact same spot, so he chose the first option. It would mean he had to look around a bit, but he didn't care.

As far as he knew, it could open at midnight. It may have even already opened and disappeared. But the time he saw Oram was around 1 p.m. and that meant he had... he checked his watch... 15 more minutes.

"Damn it," Riku growled. He just noticed how little time he really had. He broke into a run for the docks. He knew he, too, was grasping at straws, but that didn't matter now. He had done nothing for the past ten years and it was time for some sort of action. He had a lead and he was taking it, no matter where it led him or what he would have to give or lose to follow.

Then Kairi came.

God fucking damn it all.

"Hi Riku!" she giggled, standing in his way, cutting off the route he needed to get to his boat.

Riku sighed. "Hi Kairi," he grumbled. Riku had gone out with her a few years before and dumped her when she got too clingy. It wasn't as bad as it sounded, really. Riku let her go as easily as possible, in a very nice way. Kairi was the one who made things ugly. She wouldn't let go. She. Never. Left. Him. ALONE!

"Where are you going?" she asked curiously, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear in a way that she obviously thought was cute.

"Somewhere," he growled, stepping to the left to walk around her. She moved to the left as well, blocking his way again.

"Where?" she asked suspiciously.

Riku was getting ticked off. He had no time to play games and he was close to pushing Kairi in the water. "Somewhere," he repeated. "Look, Kairi, I don't have time for this..."

"Then make time," she insisted, crossing her arms. She blinked as Riku smiled down at her sweetly and took a step closer to her.

She raised an eyebrow, a hopeful look in her eye as he stepped closer. "Riku...?"

He just smiled sweetly and put his hands on her shoulders, bending down slightly.

_Oh my god, _she thought happily. He was letting his eyes close. She could feel his breath on her face. Her eyes were closing gently when...

**SPLASH!**

Kairi was brought back to reality as he quickly drew back and pushed her off the dock and splashing into the water below.

"R-Riku!" she sputtered, coughing up water. She glared up at him but he merely smirked.

"Sorry, Kairi," he said, hopping into his boat and untying it from the dock. He didn't sound sorry at all. "I told you it was over between us! I can't believe you fell for that."

Growling, she watched as he picked up the oars and sped off. Wherever he was going, he obviously needed to get their fast. She never was a oat move so quickly! But still...

"Bastard," she muttered, frowning. But they would make up later. They always did. They had a crazy, dysfunctional friendship, but a friendship all the same.

Chuckling to himself, Riku continued his brick pace towards the tiny island. He took a quick glance at his watch; 12:45. Damn it, Kairi had wasted five minutes! And he didn't have many more.

He splashed up along the dock at the abandoned island two minutes later. He didn't bother tying his boat; he didn't even bothre pulling up at the dock. Once he was close enough so that his boat scraped along the sand below the water, he jumped out.

He could feel the cold water slosh through his jeans and soak his legs. But his shoes didn't let any water leak through. The shoes on Destiny Islands were made of a special kind of material and cloth that repelled the water. So he could wade over to the island and still keep from getting wet feet.

He ran through the shallow water and onto dry land. Not pausing to take a breath, he darted across the sand.

Memories ran through his mind in a frenzy and he struggled to sort them out. Where did he see Oram? Ninna had been walking for some time so he had no idea where she had landed. But he had seen where Oram came. Now he just had to remember.

_I was waiting for Sora on the Paopou Tree, _Riku reminded himself. He looked up at the cliff that held his favorite tree. Because Riku had sat on it every chance he could, the tree bent so it was almost like a bench.

_Might as well start from there, _Riku thought moodily.

He took the old wooden stairs up to the bluff. The wood creaked with the effort to hold him. He skipped the stairs he knew would collapse if he put his weight on it, Riku made it up to the cliff without fault.

He looked across the old wooden bridge and at his tree, the one he and Sora had planted. He was sitting there, and then...

"Shit," Riku murmured, going back to the stairs hidden inside the hut. Now he remembered. He had gotten off the cliff to go search for Sora. Damn it!

Stepping out of the hut, he realized something he had been in too much of a hurry to notice. The start of a path trailed from the trees several yards from his boat. The trail hadn't been used in years. He and the others hadn't used it since Sora went missing. The others thought it was cursed. Riku just stayed away from it because it held too many memories.

_That was the last place I cried in, _Riku realized as he swatted at the over grown plants that covered the trail. _I haven't cried since Sora left. Ever._

Riku ignored this now-known fact for the moment, concentrating on battling his way through the brush. He wasn't even sure where the spot exactly was! And although this island was small, the rainforest was thick and big. You could get lost for a week in here and never know it was just a tiny island. That was why there was a path here, but it was barely noticeable now. Things were taking the worst possible turn at the worst possible time. Just Riku's luck.

Besides, Riku followed the sound of Oram's voice to find where he was. There was no one else here now. No one to guide him. He didn't know how far along the path he had to go. He just couldn't remember!

Growling in frustration, Riku slammed his fist into a tree. He felt warm blood drip from his knuckles where the rough bark and pierced through his flesh, rubbing the skin right off. He could also feel blood leaking through his pants and a sharp, stinging pain. Looking down, he noticed a long rip that ran down his legs, a gash running underneath it that was bleeding freely. He was moving so fast, the adrenaline pumping so quickly, he didn't even notice it.

Riku cursed. It must have been something in the underbrush. From the pain he was getting, he guessed it wasn't all that deep. He would live for the moment.

He looked down at his watch. 12:58. He had failed.

His one chance to find what was lost. His one chance to get Sora back. And it was gone. Riku closed his eyes shut. He felt a peculiar, uncomfortable sensation in his eyes, the pressure, unbearable. The sting was something he hadn't felt in such a long time. He hadn't even felt it when he broke his arm five years ago.

Riku was... crying.

He clenched his teeth firmly shut. He sank down to his knees. He could feel the plants press and close in around him, but he ignored it. His gloved hands wiped desperately at the tears. It was over. Who knew if he would ever see Sora again? Ever? He... wouldn't ever be able to keep his promise.

Even the wild life seemed to be mourning. There wasn't a single sound.

...wait...

Riku lifted his head up. He now noticed the silence. What used to be buzzing with life was stone-dead silent. Not a bug buzzed, or a bird chirped. No fish splashed in cricks and no tiny animals scurried through the underbrush. Something was wrong.

Riku peeked down at his watch. 1:02.

The silence was deafening. It was so quiet it was loud, making a roaring sound in his ears. No, wait... there was actually a roaring noise.

Riku stood up slowly. The leaves of the trees were being blown back by a strong wind. But the wind seemed to be coming from inside of the forest.

_Is it..._

Riku broke into a run, heading against the wind. It got more and more powerful, slowing him down some. But Riku kept on going.

Finally, he reached a familiar clearing. It was where he had seen Oram! And right in the middle...

It was like a whole in the air. It seemed impossible to exist, but it was still there. Like someone had reached down and yanked a part of the air away, leaving a giant hole. Riku could see darkness within it. Wind erupted from it like tornado, blowing everything back, including Riku. Now was his chance.

But what if this didn't lead him to Sora? It could lead him to some unknown world where he could be eaten alive. He could die as soon as he se foot in the portal by some kind of poison. He could be transported to the middle of space and be unable to breath. Or worse. He would go to where Sora was...

...and Sora could have forgotten him.

Riku gulped he feared all of these, but especially the last one. But this was his only chance. He may never come back here. He may never see his parents again.

But Sora was out there. Waiting for him.

Riku ran head first into the portal.

Not noticing the figure standing behind him.

_Disney Castle_

"Sora!"

Sora's gloomy face turned o see the group of people standing on a balcony some three floors down and across from him. They were all calling his name, hands cupped over their mouths to increase the volume.

Sora turned back to looking straight ahead, ignoring all of them. They could all jump off a bridge for all he cared right now. If they were this upset, they shouldn't have woken him up in the first place.

He wanted to dream again. He wanted his life back.

He shook his head at how stupid he was being. That's all his life had been, a dream. Now he was awake. And you could never have the same dream twice. It was time to live the real life. But... what was his real life? He was trapped between who he was here at the Castle and who he used to be. He couldn't leave here, but that dream was over and he no longer lived it. He was in a place where he didn't belong. Falling in an endless abyss.

He was awake, he knew it. Now there was only two choices. To find out who he really was. Or... to go back to sleep. And keep living in this insane world that no longer belonged to him.

Sora stood up, drawing gasps from below. It wasn't sacfe. The wind was strong, the roof slippery. He could fall at any time. But why did it matter? If fate wanted him dead, then nothing would stop it. Besides, maybe if he fell... maybe what was now was a dream. Maybe he would wake up!

One of these worlds wasn't real. He didn't know which. It couldn't all be real. It just couldn't be!

He wouldn't let it.

It was time to let a greater power decide for him.

Sora threw his head back and screamed. He screamed louder then he ever had in his entire life. Frustration, nervousness, fear, anger, hatred, love, dreams, nightmares, unknown, everything. It all came out. His arms were thrown out as he screamed, letting the wind and the rain carry him wherever they bid. it wsa their choice, not his. He didn't want it to be his choice. One of these worlds was a dream. He wanted to wake up, no matter what.

It was time to awaken.

He felt the strong gust of wind push into his back. His eyes shut lazily.

To wake up.

His knees buckled as he feel forward. He could hear screams from below.

From the never-ending dream.

Everything left him. Nothing kept him up anymore. All his supports were gone. They were never there. They had never existed.

From this ongoing nightmare.

And when he woke up... he'd be somewhere other then the middle. He'd be awake. Or he'd dream on. It was time to find out.

To wake up.

The force of this planet dragged him off the roof and downwards. He saw the ground. So far below him. His salvation. He'd be awake. He'd be awake. He'd be awake.

And then a hand grabbed onto his.

_Done_

Me: I am very proud of this! So very proud!

Riku: Good for you.

Sora: Now give the nice people the responses to their reviews.

Me: Okay!

**Black Panther Wolf**

No, it doesn't follow the KH story line. No Heartless, and I'm debating on whether or not to bring in the whole Keyblade mess. Thanks for the compliments!

**nanirain**

Stop writing One Piece? But I LIKE writing it. And I love cliffhangers. I do leave them on the end of every chapter. This chapter is no exception.

**Shocker2110**

(munches on cookies) Thanks! (sees roses) AHHHHHH! SHIT, HELP! Gah, I hate roses, man! Read my story Red Roses and you'll see why! But thank you for the review!

**Hispanic Tenshi**

The plot's moving on, so you'll see what's happening! Glad you like it. Here's the update, I hope you enjoyed it!

**Fire**

Yes, you did beta it, but thanks for reviewing anyway! XD You're drawing pictures of this story? I MUST SEE THEM WHEN YOU'RE DONE! And I hope you get back from camp soon!

**yuffiegal23**

No need for the puppy dog eyes, the update is here! I really hope you like it!

**xcloudx**

Yes, you have to have that bit of humor in a sad story. I'm so happy you think it was great! THANKS!

**Mecha-Metal Sonic**

Sorry the update is very soon. But thanks for the suggestion. Hmm... his KH2 outfit? I seriously did consider that. But first of all, at Sora's age, he doesn't have that one. Not that that matters since this is AU. But I don't really like the puffy pants. I'll describe his outfit next chapter. It's like KH2, but I 'improved' it XDD.

**Master of the Dark Trio**

Yeah, the summary isn't very good, ne? I was thinking of changing it. And I was a good writer and I wrote Flickering Light? Happy? Good. Be happy.

_Done_

Me: All finished! In order to redeem myself since I didn't update for so long, I made this chaoter uber-long! ANd...

Riku...?

Me: I MISS FIRE!

Sora: (pats)

Me: (sniffles) Until next week! Bye!


	6. No Force in Heaven or Hell

**Riku: Wow. It's official. You have now left the worst cliffhanger you've ever made after three consecutive cliffhangers.**

**Sora: Your readers are gonna kill you.**

**Me: You people are just lucky this is AU.**

**All???**

**Me: By the time you people are reading this, Harry Potter 6 has come out. It will take all the will power I have not only to concentrate on Kingdom Hearts, let alone Heartless guidelines. Flickering Light will be seeing some major trouble. But this fic, along with Catching Fire, shouldn't be too hard as long as I keep up my schedule of one hour of writing per day.**

**Readers: KEEP IT UP!**

**Me: Yeah, yeah .O. Also, my new friend has agreed to check this! So thank you to DieChan for beta-ing SM for a bit! ( DieChan: Hi:wave: )**

**Riku: You're stalling again.**

**Sora: Yup she is.**

**Me:.. HISSS! (runs)**

**All: (drag her back) TYPE!**

**Me: (mumbles) Fine you damn slave drivers. Once again, chapter goes well equals comments to the reviewers! YAY!**

_Spinning_

He was sucked into it in the blink of an eye, the torn patch of air sucking him in faster than a speeding bullet. The metal fastenings dug into his skin at the high speed he was going in, leaving deep welts in his pale skin.

His eyes began to water from the wind billowing into them, making him want to close his eyes. But he couldn't. He was too entranced by the blur of colors that raced in an arch like an abstract painting, going by too fast for him to get a proper grip on what was really there.

Was their even a bottom to it? Riku wasn't sure. For all he knew, he was standing on something solid. But he was moving too fast to be able to figure it out. Things flowed through his veins, never lingering long enough for him to figure out whether or not it tickled or caused massive amounts of pain.

The darkness swelled and throbbed against every inch of his body and he felt as if he were being sucked through a tube too small for him to squeeze through. He was just wondering how long it would take before his bones broke when an immense pressure built up below him and shot him forward like a bullet from a gun.

Riku grunted in pain as he slammed into a hard, very much solid, floor. Groaning, he felt his face to see if anything was bleeding or broken. Nose intact, along with his skull, and face blood-free, Riku decided it was safe to stand up.

His limbs shrieking in protest, Riku managed to get to his knees, then his legs, panting. He didn't have a clue where he was; all he knew was that he never, ever wanted to do that again.

Shaking his head to get rid of the dizziness that had swept over him, his eyes scanned his surroundings. He appeared to be in a rather large room that could have fit two or three, maybe even four, of the houses on Destiny Islands in it. Grand stone pillars twined themselves from four corners of the room along sturdy looking stone walls. Red velvet drapes hung from the walls, covering the light gray with its vibrant color. On the drapes there appeared to be what looked like the basic shape of a mouse head imprinted in black; a large circle with two small ones connected to the top.

The floor he had landed on was stone marble and he thought wistfully of landing on the rather plush red carpet that spread itself from one grand door to the next, yellow tassels hanging from the ends and a giant black insignia, like the ones on the drape, right in the middle of it. It looked quite soft and Riku pondered why he couldn't have landed a foot or two to the left so the landing may not have been quite as rough.

He looked to his left. Towering windows with an elegant white pane was splattered with rain water. Lightning illuminating the sky for a brief moment, the downpour sparkling eerily in the light. Something… didn't seem quite right. But Riku couldn't put his finger on it.

Shrugging it off, Riku went to the door on the right. If he was going to go anywhere, it would be inside and away from the rain. Maybe he would see somebody who knew where he was. Or, more importantly, if they knew where Sora was.

Pushing open the pearly white door, he walked into another large room, this one being much smaller than the other, however. But it was very long, if not very tall. A long red carpet ran along the white stone, but this one had no yellow tassels or mouse insignia. It led past an open nook that was made of glass, water splattering down on it in torrents. Some doors were placed out here and there, but a large spiral staircase was what caught his eye.

It looked to be made of mahogany, the dark, rich coloring shining in perfection. A small slither of carpet ran up the middle of the stair. Riku stepped towards it, whistling. The design was simple, but still breathtaking. Looking up, he saw it run past several landings, all on different floors, but kept on going up. It seemed to spiral on forever.

Since no one seemed to be on this floor, Riku decided to go up a few. The wood gave no creak of protest as so many stairways did. All he could hear as he climbed was the sound of his thudding feet, which was muffled by the carpet.

He climbed onwards for several more floors, getting slightly dizzy again. The different places the stairs led to seemed to be deserted. One just led to a single door. When tried, it wouldn't budge. One led to a floor identical to the first and equally as empty so Riku carried on.

Just as he passed the fifth floor, another empty one, it finally occurred to him what had been bothering him.

The place was empty. Completely and utterly empty. All he could hear was the rain and thunder. Lights were on, but nobody in sight. In a place as huge and grand as this, there had to be tons of people, and probably servants, as well. But there was no one else besides him. Perhaps it was night time? And they were all asleep? It hadn't been night on Destiny Islands, but perhaps the time zone was different here? Or maybe he was in that portal longer then he thought. He could have been in there for hours, maybe even days. It sure seemed like the time had stretched on forever.

But there had to be someone wandering this place, even at night. There was bound to be someone.

Anyone.

Anyone would do.

Then came the scream.

Riku's heart skipped a beat. No, not a scream, several screams.

Heart pounding in his chest, Riku raced up the steps towards the sound. He rushed past another floor where, he noticed for a brief moment, someone rushed by. He couldn't get a good glimpse of the person, but he didn't care much now. He came to another floor and he bounded off the stairs.

In front of him was a wide set of doors, thrown open. Rain soaked the carpet where the wind has carried it into. Outside Riku saw people. Well, 'people' wasn't the correct term. Half of them appeared to be people, but the others weren't. There was weird shapes standing there, but all had something in common. They were calling something, but Riku couldn't figure out what.

He stepped outside towards them, rain water soaking through his clothes. There was several humans standing there, but five others. Four were very short, two with large circular ears. One was tall and lanky, drooping ears hanging from below an oddly shaped hat.

They were standing on a large balcony with a short stone barrier circling it, stone vines curling along it. They had their hands cupped over their mouths and were shouting something up at a tower over to the right.

Thoroughly confused, Riku asked, "What's going on?"

Amidst the lack of light, they couldn't properly see the man standing behind them. Turning in spite of that, they saw a man, teenager by his voice, standing there. Oram had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach at the sight of this person, but he kept it to himself and went back to staring at the figure on the tower.

Following the man's gaze, ignoring the feeling that everyone else was glaring at him, Riku looked up. It was the largest tower he had ever seen. The only tower he had ever seen, actually. Rain streaked down the sides and a thick spout of rain came down from where it poured from the roof.

Waiting a brief moment, lightning lit the sky with its deadly light. And now… Riku could see someone was standing up. A short one, by the looks of it, but not much shorter than himself. The person must be crazy, Riku figured. With the wind and the rain, they could easily get knocked over.

And fall to their death.

The others seemed to realized this. He heard another scream coming from one of them, making the air colder already with its frozen fear. And someone else shouted out what they had been yelling before. But Riku could understand it now.

"SORA!"

Time froze for the silver-haired teen. Sora… there could be others named Sora… but Riku knew. He knew. It was Sora.

His Sora.

Teeth clenched tightly together, Riku spun around on the spot and darted back inside, making a sharp left. He darted down the hallway, eyes darting for a doorway. He had to save him. Sora could… he could… no, he wouldn't even think about it.

He came to a halt at the spot he knew there should be an entranceway. The door should be right here! But he didn't stop because of that. He stopped because his leg had hit something.

Cursing loudly and ignoring the pain, Riku looked down. A large crate was there, laying on a thread bare carpet. But now that the box had moved, the carpet sunk down a bit.

Heart racing, Riku shoved the box away, the rug being dragged with it. There was a hole in the floor. Eyes narrowing at his lack of other options, Riku hopped reluctantly into the hole.

It was a deep, dank hallway he landed in. The tiniest flicker of a burning-out torch showed him a slimy staircase was a few yards in front of him. Blinking, Riku didn't waste another moment. He raced to the staircase, thundering up it as fast as possible, not caring about slipping in the grime.

He knew where it led. There was no other option. It was steep, the steps one foot each. But Riku didn't care. He bound up them with inhuman strength and speed. Nothing could stop him. Nothing could. He wouldn't let it.

Riku heard more screaming and came to a halt in front of an open wedge in the stone. It was an arch of marble, a glassless window. He paused to look out. The people below were screaming even louder now.

A sinking feeling dropped into his stomach. He jutted his head out of the stone. Icy cold droplets of rain shattered his face. The darkness clouded his sight. But he could see. He could see his friend now. He looked limp and Riku watched in horror as his knees buckled.

Time stood still. The screams slowed to a musical siren. The droplets of rain drifted down slowly like diamonds caught in weightless air. And the body falling down was slow, like he was descending from the heavens on invisible strings, pulled from his cloud home by the harsh rules of gravity. A falling angel, wings long gone.

Clenching his teeth, Riku broke through time. Everything sped up with impossible speed. The rain fell harder, the screams louder, the falling.

Falling.

Falling.

And Riku threw his arm out just in time. His hand managed to clasp the brunette's. And he would never, ever let go.

_Sora_

And then a hand grabbed onto his.

No, Sora thought. The ground below him tilted and twirled beneath him, mocking him. Stopping the waking he so desperately desired.

He was still stuck. He had to wake up!

Is any of this for real…

…or not?

Sora's legs flailed out below him, kicking at invisible enemies that only existed in his mind.

There was nothing around him. He was incased in a cocoon of darkness and rain, nothing staying the same for more then a second. Everything below him blurred, shouts echoed in his ears. It was hard to get a grip on reality when you no longer knew the meaning of it.

Or if you knew whether you wanted reality, or the never-ending dream?

Sora didn't know, but he wanted to find out. And the only thing stopping him was that unfamiliar hand clasped onto his.

But, even as he dangled in-between Heaven and Hell, he felt completely safe.

"Don't let go!"

That voice.

"Please, Sora, hang on!"

It was so familiar…

"Sora!"

Blinking rain water from his eyes, Sora looked up at his captor. He couldn't see a thing in the rain, it was so dark. But he could make out the shape of someone hanging from a window. He had never seen this person before. But… it was so familiar… so safe… the grip on his hand felt like it had happened so many times before.

Lightning stroke again, the light rebounding off of bright green eyes. Sora groaned, slowly awaking to the here-and-now. Those eyes… he knew those eyes…

"…Riku…?"

"That's right," Riku said, tightening his grip. "It's okay, Sora, I've got you."

Sora blinked, eyes stinging.

"You're safe."

Sora felt hot, slick tears roll down his cheeks.

"I won't ever let you go."

Sora's other hand flung up, groping blindly for something. Anything. His hand was met with another.

Shaking, Sora could feel himself being pulled up. Someone was waking him up. They were saving him. And he was showing Sora the way.

_Balcony_

They watched in awe as someone grabbed onto the falling boy from a window in the tower. It was a long way down and someone… someone had made it just in time.

"Oh my God…" Ninna whispered as they watched Sora get pulled into safety.

"No one knows how to get into that tower," King Mickey whispered, amazed. "No one… so how did…?"

His question went unfinished, but no one needed to hear the rest to know what he was talking about. Someone figured out how to get in there. And just in time, too.

"Oram?" Aerith whispered, looking at the man who had turned his back on the rest and was now stalking back into the castle.

He ignored her and took a left, walking towards the balcony's direction.

_Balcony_

The rain stopped falling on him as he was drawn into a warm place. Well, warm compared to the outside. He felt strong arms loop around his shoulders to prevent him from collapsing as if he knew Sora was so weak now.

Well, it wasn't really a big shock. He had just fallen off a roof.

Sora shivered, the water feeling like a glaze of ice was covering his skin. He was shaking all over, back hunched over and face drooped down.

"It's okay," Riku whispered, his voice cracking. "You're safe."

Sora knew, he could feel, those words were spoken to him a hundred times over before. And every time they were spoken, it was true. It was true. He felt so safe… warm… he had never felt this familiar rush before…

Shaking from head to toe, Sora slowly looked up. He knew that face. It looked so much older now, but he knew it. That pale skin, silver hair, glowing green eyes...

He was here.

He was really here.

Riku had kept his promise.

He had come back.

Tears flowing freely, Sora threw his arms around his friend, and there was no force on Earth or in Hell that would make him let go.

_End_

**Me: I'm very proud of this. But I have a head ache, so no review responses.**

**All: Awwww.**

**Riku: Get over it.**

**Me: I hope you liked it! Ten reviews and a new chapter!**

**Sora: So get reviewing!**

**Me: Yup. Bye-bye!**

**(24 hours later)**

**Me: Oh hell, I'll give you your responses.**

**DieChan**

Thank you so much for checking this! You saved me from the wrath of the grammar nazis! (bows to you and gives you medal) And yes. The EMOTIONS! There are plenty of them in here, hopefully.

**soccergirl13**

I like soccer o.o. But I was number 11. And least that's what it said on the back of my shirt... (ahem). I did, in fact, update soon. PLUSHIE! SQUEE! GIMMIE! (gives you chocolate)

**Mecha-Metal Sonic**

Thank you! I'm so happy you enjoyed reading that chapter! I enjoyed writing it. It was a lot of fun, which is shocking 'cause it usually feels more like work then having fun. (stares in awe and gives you Sonic the Hedgehog Keyblade)

**Shocker2110**

(munches on cookies) Thank you for the no-roses! You 'luv' the chapter? Don't I feel so luved! (happy dances and gives you triple-fudge cookies)

**thekeybladegirl**

Umm... I updated. Yes. Here. (gives you... um... an edible calculator that tastes like strawberry pocky)

**ellenh92**

It was RIku, not Oram. RIKU, YOU ROCK MY SOCKS! (clears throat). There is now more of the story. Now there is more reading for you to do! WOOP! (hands you Riku statue made of chocolate)

**nanirain92**

I am happy the cliffies are driving you crazy, but not so sure that you 'luv' it in an addictive/obsessive/unhealthy way. That's slightly scary. You were right about Riku, though I am honored I throw unexpected things everywhere (feels so special). I hope Fire comes back soon, too! (gives you a card to a psychiatrist that can help you with your addictive/obsessive/unhealthy ways).

**Hispanic Tenshi**

Yup. Review me every chapter and I shall stay away from One Piece! (grins) But I am touched you would be willing to go to those lengths. (gives you tickets to any theme park of your choice)

**RaieChibiKid**

So many emotions you feel fromt his! o.o HELL YEAH! I don't think it's the most amazing KH fanfic ever. None of my stories are like that. But try reading Revenge of the Darkness and its sequel, Flickering Light. ROD is a bit rocky at first, though. I think you'll like those even better. (smiles and hands you Mickey Mouse's crown)

**Me: Done!**

**King Mickey: HEY! You gave away my crown!**

**Me: Eh heh heh heh?**

**King Mickey: (fires up Keyblade)**

**Me: o.o (gulp) AHHHHH! (runs like hell)**


	7. A Promise Well Kept

Me: Heh (brushes dust off of story). Sorry I haven't updated. But you gave me more then 10 reviews, so I need to update.

Sora:...why is your skin, like... yellow?

Me: Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I haven't slept in days or eaten in over 24 hours.

Riku: Yup, that might have something to do with it.

Me: I'm inspiration deprived, yes I am. I am forcing myself to write this because I can't let you all down. I created this story, and I'll finish it. Even if it makes me sick.

Cast: O.O

Me: (smile) Go on and read!

_Disney Castle _

Oram rushed down the hall ways of Disney Castle, black cloak that was still dripping wet billowing behind him, spraying the pathway with water. His black boots made squeaking noises on the highly polished floor, but it was drowned out by the thundering rain and cracks of thunder from outside.

He had a bad feeling about this. As Oram rushed past a few of the Castle maid, all trying to stop him with bright fluffy towels in their hands, his thoughts turned to the stranger who had saved Sora and his insides turned to ice.

All right, he'd admit it. If it weren't for whoever the Hell that person was, Sora would be dead. But that didn't stop the fact that he was getting bad vibes from it. But these were different vibes. When he had a bad feeling, it was sort of like some sort of premonition. Like he knew something bad would happen, bad for everyone.

But this feeling... this feeling was worse... confusing...

He had a bad feeling that whatever was about to happen wouldn't be good for him at all, but it may just be the best thing for the others.

And for Sora.

He ran faster.

No, he wouldn't let anyone take Sora away! Even if Sora was mad at him, he'd get over it! Oram could give him the life that Sora had lived, and what he so obviously wanted to return to.

But could things be the same?

His muscles stretched in ways they weren't meant to be as he widened his foot strides. He had to get to Sora soon, and fast. Before that man got to him.

And what if this man would hurt Sora? What if he really wanted to kill Sora himself? Oram had no idea how this would be possible, though; no one in their right minds would want to hurt the brunette. No one. They'd have to be crazy.

_And sticking your body out of a tower to grab at someone while all Hell is breaking loose in the sky is sane?_ a nagging voice in the back of his mind said. Oram usually ignored this voice, but now he agreed with it whole-heartedly.

He skidded to a halt in front of an old stair case. Literally. His wet boots slid across the marble for a good two feet before he stopped and it took all of his skill to keep form falling.

He narrowed his eyes. In the ground was a large, gaping black hole. A shabby rug lay haphazardly over it, dipping slightly into the dark depths. The other half was scrunched up over a large, heavy-looking box.

He didn't register that this place had been hidden. He didn't even stop to think that this might not lead him anywhere, that it could send him tumbling straight down through the castle to meat a splatting end. He hopped into the dark hole.

A whooping sensation filled his stomach for a brief moment before he finally hit the bottom. The weather outside was obviously having an effect on this place, too; there was two inches of water covering the slippery ground.

He ran through the water, heels kicking up buckets of water that flailed out behind him in torrents. The water was freezing. He lost the feeling in his toes completely, then his whole foot. But he didn't care. His feet weren't what was keeping him going. It was his will to save Sora from whatever horror was facing him. Whatever horror that awaited him from up those long, spindling stairs that were now in his view, despite the dark, dreary hallway.

He bolted up them in a heart beat. The only sound he could hear was his wet boots slapping against the cold stone, the whipping of his cloak behind him. The sound of thunder echoed dully in the tower, surrounding him, suffocating him. The rain beat like millions of tiny drums, pounding in his ears. But it didn't drown out the sound of the pounding of his own heart. Or his gasping breath as he climbed higher and higher.

The air was getting colder. He could feel icy wet air slap him hard in the face that stung his skin, digging deep into his pores and sending shocks through his face. He could see the tiniest of glimmers of light now. It was frail, but there and it danced along the wall in weak ribbons.

He had come to a landing, finally. It was the same as the stairs; dark, cobble stone floor. But not that dark. Two torches were at either end of a small room. There were more stairs at the end of the room. To the left was a large arch that led outside into the thin air, or in this case, Hell relinquished in a storm.

But he didn't notice any of the scenery, or the chair in the corner and the table that was littered with candy bar wrappings. What he did notice was the silhouette of two figures. One he recognized right off the bat; the spiky hair was unmistakable. But the other was unfamiliar, yet strangely, it felt like he knew it. He was taller then Sora and had his arms somewhere near Sora's head. It looked like... they were around his neck!

This man was trying to kill Sora!

With a growl, Oram launched himself at the man, tackling him to the ground.

_Another Side, Another Story (I just had to add that, sorry) _

Riku blinked as the smaller teen wrapped his arms around him in a bone-crushing hug. Did this mean... that Sora... remember him? Him?

Relief. Warm, glorious, illuminating relief swept through his veins, seeping into his mind and heart and loosening the muscles that had been tensed in fear. It was all right. Sora was okay. Sora remembered him.

And his promise was kept.

A huge surge charged through his body, making him grin widely. He wasn't even sure if he was in control of his own body anymore. But he didn't care. He was just too damn happy to care.

He ended up laughing, throwing his arms around the brunette to return the hug. The mood was obviously infectious as Sora was laughing as well, still grasping onto Riku as if holding onto dear life. There were beads of water running down his cheeks and since Sora was so soaked, he wasn't sure if it was the rain or tears. But he would go for the latter.

"I can't believe it's you!" Sora was saying over and over again. "It's been so long..."

Riku was still laughing, swaying slightly on the spot. "What, do you think I can just poof up here at any time?"

Sora laughed as well, finally pulling apart slightly, but still not letting go. "Nah," he said. "But... how did you get here, anyway?"

Riku mock pouted. "Not happy to see me?"

Sora blinked. "Of course I am!"

"You're not happy to see me?"

"No, I am!"

He would normally be frustrated at someone acting like this, but he found he didn't mind it that much with Riku. Maybe that's because he liked it with Riku, and Riku alone. No one else.

"I have so much to tell you!" Sora said excitedly, eyes ablaze with happiness. He was acting pretty excited and exuberant for someone who was about to commit suicide. But Riku was about to bring this up now. It would ruin the moment.

"You better have," Riku warned. "I told you we'd go on different adventures, and I wasn't lying." He grinned, ruffling Sora's hair affectionately. "We can tell each other all about it later."

Sora smiled up at him, blue eyes gleaming. "And I kept up my promise, too!"

Riku raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "So you've been good?"

Sora nodded. "Yup!"

"Liar," Riku said cheerfully. He was a bit more serious when he said, "If you've been so good, then what in God's name were you doing standing out there on the roof in this weather?"

Sora's face fell, his smile dropping into a frown. He didn't look mad about the question. If anything, he looked guilty, ashamed. "I'd rather not talk about it right now..." he murmured, staring at the floor.

Riku nodded, even though Sora couldn't see him.. Instead, he pushed the brunette away a bit, holding him at arms length.

Sora shot him a puzzled look which changed, moments later, into an amused one.

"Looks like you finally grew some muscle," Riku murmured absently, looking him up and down. "You look like you've eaten well enough, if not a bit too much."

This made Sora pout, and Riku sniggered. "Just kidding, just kidding," he assured him. "Well, looks like you've been getting on well enou---OOF!"

Sora jumped a good two feet in the air in shock as a dark figure bounded from the entry way, tackling Riku to the ground.

"What the hell?" Sora exclaimed. He could hear Riku cursing on the ground and another figure lurched over him, pinning him to the ground.

"Oh wait..." Sora whispered to himself. He would've jumped himself, but he was kind of too shocked to do so. He didn't even know who this person was, it was too dark!

He watched as Riku managed to un-pin his wrists and roll the other man over and he got to his feet, taking a hasty step back.

The new comer launched himself at Riku at breath-taking speed, knocking him into the rickety wooden table--- hard! Three was a splintering crash as Riku was shoved against it, snapping it clean in half and falling through.

Riku growled, shoving the side of his palm into the other mans throat, cutting off his breath momentarily. It wasn't enough to knock him out, just enough to make him get off. Riku didn't believe in choking people. If he wanted to kill someone, he had much more efficient ways of doing it.

The man stumbled off of him, momentarily. His face was contorted in rage and even though there was barely any light, Riku thought this man as familiar.

And so did Sora.

When Riku was knocked into the table, it shook the torch from it's wooden pedestal, sending it spilling across the floor. In the glow of the bright white and red embers, he could make out tanned skin, brown hair, frown eyes...

"ORAM!" Sora yelled, launching himself at the man before he could

He wrapped his hands tightened around the taller guys torso, using all of his strength to haul him away from the silver-haired teen. Oram fought hard to release himself. But Sora wouldn't let him go.

After grappling for a bit, Riku slowly stood up. He plugged his bloody nose with the hem of his shirt, wincing in pain. He didn't think it was broken, but colliding with the ground would leave it sore for a while.

"What the Hell?" Riku muttered, glaring at the stranger. "What was that for?"

The embers on the ground were beginning to die down, casting an eerie glow over their faces. There was silence for a while, if you didn't count the ragged breathing of the others. During his struggles, Oram had clipped Sora in the mouth and he was now bleeding. But Sora didn't seem to mind that.

Sora released his hold on Oram slightly, but still didn't let go. Just in case he went after Riku again.

After a minute or two, in which they all stared from one to the other, they heard the sound of frantic footsteps scurrying up the stairs. A moment later, a tall woman with brown hair braided down her head and a long, pink dress appeared with a blazing torch in her hand.

She immediately rushed to Sora's side, hugging him tightly.

"Sora, what in the world has gotten into you?" she exclaimed, obviously not minding that he was dripping wet from his little stunt on the roof. "You had us all scared to death!"

Riku watched curiously as Sora assured the other woman he was fine, a woman who was named Aerith. So this wasn't Ninna... but she should be here, too. And the other man... wait a second... in the light of the new-comers torch, he looked very familiar. That face... those eyes.

"Oram?" Riku asked tensely, narrowing his eyes at the older brunette.

Aerith finally noticed his presence. Her eyes widened in slight shock before she asked, "And who is this?"

"I'll explain later, Aerith," Sora said hurriedly. The cold was finally settling in and he was starting to shiver. The storm outside hadn't let up yet, but the rain didn't seem to be pounding on the walls as hard and the pause between bolts of lightning getting longer.

"All right then," she said, sighing. "Let's get you somewhere warm."

She looked around at the other two, one sporting a black eye and the other a bloody nose. "And you two, as well." Her eyes rested on Riku for a moment longer before she took Sora by the shoulders and led him to the exit. Before he was out of sight, Sora shot an encouraging smile at Riku and allowed himself to be steered away by his caretaker.

There was a very awkward, very tense cloud that hovered in the air between the two males, surrounding and suffocating the two of them like some invisible barrier. Even the sounds of the storm seemed to dull. Without the glow of the torch, the darkness had returned and it seemed even blacker then before. Or maybe it was that damn barrier again.

But Riku could still see the spreading bruise in Oram's left eyes that had happed when Riku kneed him in the eye when they fell over. Riku felt a tiny bit of regret, even if it was Oram's fault in the first place.

"Sorry about that," Riku said conversationally. He could feel the aches in his body from his harsh landing from the portal and from the scuffle ten minutes before.

Oram just shrugged. What could he say to someone he had just wrongly accused of attempting to kill the would-be-murderers best friend? This wasn't exactly something he had dealt with before.

"Whatever," the brunette finally muttered. "C'mon, they'll be worried if we stay up here too long." And with that, he grabbed a torch from one of the walls and swept down the stairs.

Riku groaned. He had a feeling that him and Oram wouldn't be getting along very well after that. Then he noticed another thing. The bastard had left him with no light. There were only two torches here; one was laying on the ground, crushed, it's embers fading into a dull orange. And the other was just taken by Oram himself.

Riku groaned again. Okay, so he definitely wasn't someone he would be getting along with anytime soon, if ever.

Gritting his teeth, Riku felt for the wall and slid his hand along it until he found the exit. Sighing, he began a slow descent down the narrow, steep, slippery stairs. In the pitch dark.

Wow. Today was really bittersweet, ne?

_Sora _

Sora and Aerith were treading through the now three-inch deep water. Sora's shoes were soaked beyond repair and the hem of Aerith's dress curled in circles around her ankles, slippery feet splashing daintily through the feeble current created in the tunnel by the storm.

"Sora?" she began when they reached dry ground outside of the tunnel by climbing up a rickety ladder Sora brought over from the wall (he had put it there when he found this place). "Who was that man with you?"

"You mean Oram?" Sora chuckled. They were walking down the hallway down, dripping water all over the floor.

Aerith frowned down at him. "Sora, we've all been worried sick," she said. "Now is not the time for your little games."

Sora glared up at her. "You're not one to talk about games, Aerith."

The flower maiden shut up. Sora had a point.

They had just turned a corner when they were bombarded by a flock of people who included the following: Leon, Yuffie, Ninna, King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy.

"Sora, where have you been?"

"You had us worried sick!"

"You could have died, you idiot!"

"What would we have done?"

"How did you get up in that bloody tower in the first place?

Sora groaned. He wished they would shut up. He could feel a cold coming on (probably from being outside in that storm) and, with it, a massive head ache.

"Leave him alone," a voice from behind them said. "Sora could use some sleep."

Oram had walked up to them and his face looked a bit more relieved then what it had been before, but it was still stony. He was soaked from the knee down and he had wet splotches over his clothes, probably from where he had touched Riku's wet clothes.

"We have a right to know," Yuffie huffed. "We just witnessed Sora fall off a damn roof!"

Leon snorted. "More like he jumped," Leon muttered.

"Hey!" Sora said, bristling. "I didn't jump!"

"It doesn't matter!" Mickey intervened quickly. "What matters is that you're okay, Sora."

"Yeah," Ninna agreed, nodding happily. "Say, Sora, who was it that saved you anyway?"

Oram was staring coldly at the wall as if it had done him a great personal wrong.

"He did," Sora said, nodding to the person standing behind them. They all turned to see who Sora was grinning at and gasped.

_End _

Sora: That was just plain mean.

Me: Well I feel mean. I'm damn tired of trying to be cheerful, so I make you all suffer! MWA HA HA!

Riku:... save us...

Fire: hm :hides white, binding jacket behind her back and throws it to Riku: keep that just incase. :smirks:

Me: (clears throat) Well, here's the responses to reviews!

_Rose Fighter _

I will keep on updating! WOOT! Thanks for the review!

_Hispanic Tenshi _

...Okay, so I wrote a few more OP fics! So sue me! XD Sorry, I can't resist. But I've laid off OP for now. I got kinda bored with it; after the big rush, it just left me drained. So I'll keep on updating. YAY! PLEASE TAKE ME WITH YOU TO THE THEME PARK! WHEE!

_Shocker2110 _

I strain to be different form other KH fics, I really do. That's why I wrote this and it didn't stay locked up in my mind. But I'm glad you think it is, that's suck a huge compliment! SQUEE! KH2! (glomps it and you)

_nanirain _

...(slowly pushed card back to you) Trust me, you need it more then I do. Um, my chapters are addicting. I feel a large surge of happiness and guilt. Odd combination, it is. You're a fan?...(sniffles) I feel so incredibly happy. THANK YOU!

_xcloudx _

I'm happy you liked the ending . Even though the review was short, I'm glad you took the time t acknowledge you read it! YOU ROCK!

_RaieChibiKid _

You're like, my favorite reviewer. you rock my socks so hard. I love reading your encouraging reviews! And thanks for pointing out all the genres of this XD. Thank you so much for the review!

_Heart of Dreams _

Yeah, no Kairi in this fic. Sorry, but I'm tired of her at the moment. Nothing but our sexy bishies for the moment! I hope you're okay with that. Thanks for the review!

_The Keyblade Master_

Um... okay, I was shocked when I read your review. I wasn't sure if anyone would catch the fact that the portal was like apparating. I honestly thought you people didn't pay attention to stuff like that. But thank you for doing so anyway! It makes me feel my writing is worth paying attention to.

_soccergirl13 _

YAY! PLUSHIE! huggles plushie Thank you very much! (bows) And thanks for the review, too!

_ellenh92 _

...O.O You scare me. Poke? Riku? Okay, no more sugar for you. (gives you carrot sticks)

_yuffiegal23 _

I did update! Ha ha, you're one of my first reviewers. I value your opinion, please tell me more of it!\par

_Done _

Me: For all you people out there, I love hearing things from you. Like your opinions, ideas, suggestions, criticisms, anything. Please say

Sora: Now go eat something!

Me: (grumbles) Yes sir. Well, bye-bye reviewers! Until next update! Flickering Light, you're next on the list!


	8. You Idiot!

**Me:...**

**Cast: (glare)**

**Me: All right, all right, I'm sorry I haven't been updating! Things have been... weird. I just never got the time or the patience to sit down and write this. So, incase you haven't noticed, this is a short chapter. Just a transition chapter to get you from one place to the next. What is our new destination? Only time will tell. Anywho, just go on and read. And once again, sorry for the delay!**

_**Morning**_

Their legs swung back and forth over a sturdy log that lay implanted in the rich earth beneath them. The rain from the previous day left the grass wet and slippery, patches embedded with thick swamps of dark mud. The sun shown brightly on the wet planet and down on the two boys who were sitting side by side on the log.

It was early in the morning, somewhere around 7 a.m. The smell of cooking breakfast wafted through the air to the two boys who were contently munching on stacks of toast they had begged from the cooks. If there was one thing the silver-haired teen didn't need, it was to be bombarded with twenty questions from every occupant of Disney Castle.

Silence echoed in dull whispers between the two of them as their bright eyes stared up at the early morning sky. Hints of blue spilled over a burnt orange and red field, small puffs of cloud swirling the colors into a mindless abyss of light.

"Are we just gonna sit here all day?"

Peaceful bliss.

"Depends."

"On what?"

"Heehee, what you want to do!"

An aura of light. Bleaching the shadows from their mind and giving them a calm blanket of security, one they wanted to stay wrapped in for eternity.

"Well, what is there to do here, anyway?"

"Hmmm... not sure."

"Gah, Sora! You've lived here for the past ten years and you don't know what to do here?"

"Are you calling me dense?"

"Yes. Yes I am."

"Hey!"

Riku laughed out loud as he watched an indignant pout form on Sora's lips, eyebrows furrowed and he puffed his cheeks out.

"Ugh, you haven't changed at all," Riku said in mock exasperation. He leaned back and twisted himself so he was laying down on the log, one leg hanging off the side and the other bent and sturdy on the rough wood. "When you were little, you did that to me all the time. When you wanted ice cream, a piggy back..."

Sora grinned sheepishly. "Did I really?"

"Yeah," Riku said, amusement mixed in with his mature voice. "You were such a little kid, Sora. Actually, you still are..."

Sora frowned. "Am not," he muttered, absentmindedly kicking at a dandelion with his foot. He watched the small puff of white explode into tiny milky tuffs before blowing away in the light spring breeze.

He blinked, and then sneezed as he inhaled something through his nose. Blinking in surprise and sneezing again, Sora looked over to see the perpetrator, who held the stem of a plucked dandelion, the white seeds haven been blown off and right up the brunette's nose.

Sora scowled. "Riku!" he whined as his best friend laughed. Best friend...? Was... was Riku still his best friend?

Sora's mouth drew into a thin line in thought. Sure, Sora had made some friends over the years, but something had stopped him from getting really close to them. Maybe it was that feeling that there wasn't something right. Like making a friend was a crime in someone's eyes. Was it because of Riku?

Had Sora really remembered? Had he just pushed the memory away in favor of more pleasant ones?

And if that was the case... what did that make Sora?

He blinked as a leather-gloved hand waved in his face, pulling him out of his depressing thoughts. Sora looked up to see aqua-marine eyes eyeing him with a bit of worry.

"What's wrong?" Riku asked curiously. "It was just a joke; are you allergic or something?" Had Sora developed a dandelion allergy?

Sora shook his head quickly. "No, it's nothing!" He forced a grin over his face, but it didn't quite meet his eyes. Something that Riku was quick to notice.

Frown deepening, Riku said, "No, really, what's wrong?" His eyes narrowed slightly as he realized that, fake smile gone, Sora was staring hard at the grass beneath them, not meeting the older teen's eyes.

Sighing impatiently, Riku firmly wrapped his fingers around Sora's chin and forced the brunette to look at him. Blue eyes met his. Was that... guilt?

What the hell?

Deciding to voice this thought out loud, Riku said, "What the hell? Sora, are you okay?"

Sora shook his head, but Riku still held on. His eyes had gone back to staring at the grass.

"Sora," Riku said coolly, a voice he had picked up from his father over the years, "look at me."

Sora hesitantly looked up, unable to disobey that voice. He wasn't sure how to word things... what would Riku say? Would he be angry? Upset? That his best friend, the one he'd been waiting for, for a good part of his life, had completely forgotten about him? And then, when he remembered, tried to commit suicide?

Well, it wasn't really suicide, but still...

"Sora," Riku said, facial featured relaxing into a gentle smile, "you can tell me anything." His smile grew a bit. "I'm your best friend, remember?"

Sora muttered something, eyes now focused on Riku's collar and not his face.

"What was that?" Riku asked, raising an eyebrow and smirking a bit. "I don't speak Mumble, Sora."

He didn't even have the heart to pout. "I said..." he murmured, "I don't deserve that."

The smirk sliding off his face like oil on tarp, Riku said, "What?"

"I can't be your best friend," Sora muttered. "I'm not worthy of that."

"What...?" Riku said, shocked. "What's that supposed to mean?" Frowning, Riku briefly wandered whether or not ten years in a castle had turned Sora into a snob. But he had severe doubts about that; he trusted Sora too much for that. Brushing the fact aside, Riku waited for Sora to speak again.

Which he did. "Riku... have you forgotten about me?"

"Um, yeah, sure," Riku muttered. "Yes, I jumped into a portal to try and find a complete stranger."

Sora's eyes, dancing with flames, darted up to Riku's. "I'm being serious!"

Riku's hand slipped away from Sora's face and he sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "No, Sora," he said in a heavily resigned voice, "I haven't forgotten about you. How could I forget you?"

That obviously wasn't the right answer. He didn't look angry, but he wasn't happy, either. If anything, he looked down right depressed. And guilty. Where was this coming from?

"Would you rather have had me forget?" Riku whispered, slightly hurt. "Don't you...?"

"No," Sora said, shaking his head. "It's just... I..."

"You...?" Riku pressed. He scooted closer to get a better view of his friend's face. "Sora, no matter what, you can tell me. C'mon... what's bothering you?"

Sora sighed. Might as well get it over with. "I... I'm not like you, I guess."

Wonderful choice of words.

"You're beating yourself up over the fact that you're not like me?" Riku questioned, smirking. "Sora, bad news for you. Only I can be me. Everyone else would die in the attempt to even be my equal."

"Is your ego big enough?" Sora joked bitterly.

"Might be," Riku shrugged. "Anyway... what's wrong with not being like me...?"

"Iforgotaboutyou!"

"..."

"..."

"What did I say about me not speaking Mumble?"

"I FORGOT ABOUT YOU!"

A thick cloud of birds burst from the woods in a wave of clawed feet and feathers, sending shrieking caws ringing through the morning air, obviously startled by the loud outburst. Riku himself was a bit shocked, but not enough to leap in the air and fly, or in his case, run, away.

Sora was breathing heavily, energy spent from the sudden shout. His shoulder slumped and his head hung on his neck, spiky hair seeming to lose some of it's spring and allow itself to be yanked down by the forces of gravity.

"I forgot about you," Sora repeated quietly, the words dragging themselves up from the dark, murky bottoms of his heart. "I forgot all about you... and Destiny Islands..."

His breath hitched, but he found that he couldn't stop. The words were spilling out of his mouth and he had no control over them. "I was so stupid! You've been waiting for me all this time and when I finally DID remember everything, I jumped off a damn tower!"

"Um, Sora...?"

But he kept on going. "I should never have forgotten you! I've been hear all happy and you've been stuck three waiting! I may have never remembered you, and then what? I'm so sorry! But I don't' deserve to be forgiven... I'm just so s--- mmph!"

Riku had affectively shut Sora up, placing his gloved hand firmly over the brunette's mouth. Sora was surprised to see that, instead of looking angry, Riku looked quite amused. The corners of his pale lips were curved upwards slightly into an amused smirk, his green eyes flashing with mirth.

"Sora, shut up," he laughed, grinning now. "You idiot, that's not the reason I was so miserable back there!"

Sora blinked and Riku's hand slid off of his mouth, allowing him to speak freely again. But the only words that managed to come out of Sora's mouth was: "It wasn't?"

Riku laughed, ruffling Sora's hair. "No, you dummy!" he exclaimed. "I was worried that you _did _remember me."

Sora frowned. "That doesn't make any sense..."

Riku shrugged, still grinning. "Yes it does," Riku informed him. "The whole reason I sent you here was so you could _forget_!"

"But..." Sora whispered, "but you said to never forget you..."

Riku snorted. "Sora, did you ever really forget me?" he questioned. "Hasn't there always been that feeling that something was missing? Are you sure you didn't remember, even the tiniest bit?"

Sora thought it over for a few moments. Actually, Riku was right. He _did_ always feel something was missing. True, he ignored the feeling but at night, when he couldn't sleep, he did remember a bit. He remembered green... just green eyes... and sand. Lots of sand.

He didn't realize he was smiling until Riku chuckled and ruffled his hair up even more. "You see?" he asked. "You never really forgot about me. I just didn't want you to _remember_. As long as you didn't recall it all, everything would be all right!"

"You put a lot of faith into me forgetting all that stuff," Sora informed him, laughing a bit.

The silver-haired teen shrugged. "You're pretty naive, Sora," he snorted. "I knew you'd forget."

Before Sora could respond, Riku suddenly frowned. "Hey... I just remembered something..."

"No more remembering!" Sora groaned, but his friend ignored him.

"All those people I met last night," Riku muttered. "You were being pretty cold to them..."

Sora frowned and, for the second time that day, felt a wave of guilt wash over him.

"Erm, yeah," Sora muttered. "I sorta got mad at them... a lot..."

"What did they do to you?" Riku hissed. Different murder plans were already running through his mind.

"No, no, they didn't really DO anything," Sora assured him. "But... well, I sort of god mad at them for, ya know, keeping me in the dark all these years..."

Riku sighed heavily. "Sora..." he groaned. " I told Oram to keep you in the dark! I told them to let your forget!"

Sora blinked. "You did?" he said, shocked.

"Yes," Riku said, rolling his eyes. "This is great, just great..."

Sora smiled sheepishly, waiting for the older male to continue. Which he did with fervor.

"You know what you have to do, right?" he said sternly.

Sora groaned. "Yeah, yeah... I'm going."

_Castle_

Oram walked with a slight hunch in his back. He had deep rings under his eyes and he was bone-dead tired after the sleepless night of walking around the castle. He just couldn't get the strange silver-haired boy out of his mind. He couldn't believe a cute little kid could grow up like that.

And that cold... that cold that seeped in waves from Sora's body was enough to keep anyone awake. But he wouldn't be surprised if the others used sleeping pills to get it off their minds so they could get just a bit of shut eye. After all, it had been a tiring night.

But Oram had decided no slumber was better then a drug-induced one.

But he certainly felt drugged. His limbs dragged along, foot by foot that felt like mile by mile, arms swaying beside him, twice their normal weight. And his head ache... oh God, ouch, his head...

Nothing could stop him from just tumbling over a railing now. Or even into a wall. Well, everything except for one thing.

One person.

Who was standing right in front of him. Five feet away.

Oram stopped. So did the chirps of the blue jays. So did the dull chatter of maids. So did time.

One step.

Bright blue eyes stared uncertainly at him. Dark brown ones met Sora's.

Two steps.

_I'm sorry..._

"I'm..."

Twelve steps and a leap.

The air was knocked out of his lungs as Sora launched himself at the man, wrapping his arms tight around him in a tight bear tug that probably cracked a rib or two.

But did Oram care? No. He was too busy hugging Sora just as fiercely.

"Sora..."

"I'm sorry..."

"...I'm sorry..."

_**Done**_

**Voila! I thought of this as a transition chapter, so I hope you liked it. If I have any readers after such a long time... I'm so sorry guys, I really am ;o;. How can I make it up to you guys? Tell me!**

**...and drop a review, maybe?**


	9. We're Going To Lose Him

**Well, everyone seemed to want an update as my apology, so here I am . Please enjoy the chapter, and I'm so glad all of you liked the last one! I'll try to make this chapter long, but no promises.**

**(kills self for taking so long to update)**

_Riku_

Sora had been gone for a long while and, getting bored in the first five minutes of this extensive period, Riku decided to wonder off.

The sun had fully risen now, spreading it's warm glow blazing across the grass that gently blew in the wind, tickling the youths ankles. The earth beneath his fest was soft with morning dew and the torrential rain that had fallen the day before, but it sparkled in the sunlight and added to the overall beauty.

"_Beauty can be deceiving, though, can't it?"_

Riku snorted gently. "You've got that right," he murmured.

_"It's so hard to believe that such a beautiful place, a beautiful face, can be hiding so many things. So many lies."_

Riku blinked. "Yeah..." he whispered. He slowly rotated on the spot to face the man he was talking to...

... and saw no one.

"Hello?" Riku called looking around. He saw nothing, only the swaying green grass and the cloud-blanketed shy. He shrugged his shoulders. "I guess he left..."

_"Who would expect such a pretty picture can be painted with the darkest of paints?"_

Frowning, Riku spun around again, only to be faced with even more open space. The castle twinkled in front of him, perched proudly on a tall hill with a crystal river dwindling along the East wall.

_"But I guess... everything is painted with the darkness, isn't it? Even you."_

The voice was delicate, but carried an air of unmistakable smugness in it. It bit into Riku's ears like ice, making them numb with cold.

And the voice... was coming from everywhere.

"Where are you?" Riku exclaimed, spinning on the spot.

_"What a useless question. Shouldn't your question be who I am?"_

Riku frowned. "Fine then," he snapped, getting agitated. His eyes were narrowed into tiny slits. "_Who _are you?"

_"I shall tell you when you figure out what I am."_

"Besides a pain in the ass?"

There was a breathy chuckle that vibrated through the air for a moment or two before everything fell silent once again. A few seconds alter, the birds began to chirp, and it was then that Riku realized that they had once stopped.

Riku's eyes twitched a bit. This place was screwy...

With a heavy sigh, he set off across the grounds. He had been planning on going up to find Sora again, but now he didn't really care where he was going. That voice still rang in his head, and he needed to get rid of it before he bashed his own head in.

There was a clearing in the woods ahead of him, so he headed for that. The scratchy grass blew against his ankles through his jeans every now and then, sending tiny tingles up his leg. He longed to bend down and scratch at the itch, but he knew better; it would just come back anyway.

Urg, everything about this place annoyed the Hell out of him.

"Hey!" he had a voice call from behind him. "Hey, please wait!"

Riku stopped in his tracks and tilted his head to the side to see a woman rushing towards him, wind sweeping her long brown hair in front of her green eyes. The bottom of the woman's dress was splattered with rain and early morning dew, splaying around her dark brown boots.

"Thank you," she said gratefully, coming to a halt a few feet from the teen, who still had his back to her, although his eyes watched her with interest.

After struggling for a few moments against the wind, Aerith managed to get her hair in control and out of her face so she could smile at him. "I've been looking for you," she said.

_Obviously, _Riku thought. But aloud, he only said: "Well, here I am."

The grass glittered like thin slivers of emerald gems on the ground in the sun, bending gently in the gusts. Riku could feel the dew beginning to weep through the bottom of his jeans, but he paid it no mind.

"I've been hoping to meet you," Aerith said with a small bow of her head. Smiling kindly, she said, "I had hoped---"

"To get the full story?" Riku finished for her, raising a fine silver eye brow. She hesitated before giving a slight nod. With a tiny sigh, Riku turned around so he was fully facing her, hands buried deep into his pockets.

"Well, what is it you want to know?" Riku asked.

Aerith bit her lip gently. "Well..." she said tentatively, "I was sort of wondering... everything, really. I'm not sure where to begin."

Riku sighed, rubbing the back of his head. His eyes darted up to the castle, looking for any sign of Sora. Seeing none, he continued, "Well, just ask a question. I'll answer."

"Well..." she began quietly, obviously contemplating on what to ask. A moment of two later, she asked, "How did you get here, anyway?"

"I don't know," Riku said honestly. "This portal just opened...and I jumped in."

Aerith raised an eyebrow. "You jumped into a portal?"

"It wasn't the smartest move," Riku admitted sheepishly, "but I felt I had to."

"Had to?" Aerith asked.

Riku just shrugged. "Yeah."

She waited for him to deliberate on the subject further, but when he didn't, she opened her mouth to question further...

"Hey guys!"

And then Sora came.

Riku turned to see Sora trotting up to them, trademark grin on his face, blue eyes bright, he stopped in front of them, hands on his knees as he grinned up at them. "What'cha talking about?"

"About how we're going to put thumbtacks under your bed sheets tonight," Riku said sweetly.

"Oh, really?" Sora replied, just as sweetly. "Because me and Oram were just trying to plan on how to slip some arsenic in your tea this afternoon."

"Ah, did you finish your plans?"

"Yup!"

Aerith, who was about to giggle, caught the look that passed between the two teens. An understanding of some sort, and it made Riku look a bit relieved.

_Sora's already hiding things from us... _Aerith thought sadly. But instead, she forced a smile on her face as she said, "If you two are doe discussing your murder tactics, perhaps you'd like to give Riku the tour, Sora?"

Sora's face, if possible, brightened even more. "Yeah!" he said happily, pumping the air with his fist. He grabbed Riku's wrist, said boy beginning to smirk slightly, and tugged him towards the general direction of the castle. "C'mon, Riku! I gotta show you the gummi garage!"

And with a quick spurt of laughter, the two were off.

Aerith sighed, a small, bitter smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

"Sora... we're going to lose you, aren't we?"

And the wind continued to howl.

_Sora_

"I'm bored."

"Yeah. Listening to you talk non-stop is starting to get on my nerves, too."

"Yea---hey!"

Laughter.

"You're so mean, Ri-ku..."

"Get used to it, So-ra."

"Nuu..."

The two boys were making their way down the halls of Disney castle, Sora with his hands crossed behind his head, Riku's hands dug into the pockets of his jeans.

"So what is there to do around here?" Riku asked absentmindedly, eyeing his surroundings with genuine curiosity.

"Well, I usually hang out at the gummi garage," Sora murmured, feet shuffling a bit and skidding on the floor with a bit of a squeak. "But Donald kicked us out, so..."

It was then that Sora noticed his friend wasn't walking with him. Blinking, Sora turned around to raise an eyebrow at his friend. But Riku wasn't looking at him. His gaze was transfixed straight ahead, something akin to shock and horror on his pale face.

"Riku?" Worried, Sora walked back to his best friend and started to wave a hand in front of his face. "Helloooo? Earth to Riku!"

But Riku didn't notice him. He was busy staring over Sora's shoulder at an equally surprised individual.

"TIDUS?"

_End_

**Riku: Five bucks says they don't review.**

**SHUT UP! Grr... Well, bad news for everyone. SM... is burning out. I don't feel inspired to write it. At all. It's gotten to the point where it hurts to write it, and is more of a chore then fun. I promised myself that if this ever happened, I'd stop writing the story.**

**Which is exactly what I'm going to do.**

**Sorry, guys. It's been fun. I will, of course, continue to update. But... not very often. As in, it could be several months until I post again. So if you want to stay updated then add this to your Alerts list. But... I'm sorry. I really am.**

**Bye everyone. Hope to see you all again real soon.**


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